Black carbon and mineral dust on two glaciers on the central Tibetan Plateau: sources and implications

Sources and implications of black carbon (BC) and mineral dust (MD) on two glaciers on the central Tibetan Plateau were estimated based on in situ measurements and modeling. The results indicated that BC and MD accounted for 11 +/- 1% and 4 +/- 0% of the albedo reduction relative to clean snow, whil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Authors: Li, Xiaofei, Kang, Shichang, Sprenger, Michael, Zhang, Yulan, He, Xiaobo, Zhang, Guoshuai, Tripathee, Lekhendra, li, Chaoliu, Cao, Junji
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS 2020
Subjects:
Black carbon
glacier melt
mineral dust
particulate matter source region
Tibetan Plateau
LIGHT-ABSORBING IMPURITIES
MASS-BALANCE
PRECIPITATION SEASONALITY
POTENTIAL IMPACT
SNOW ALBEDO
NEPAL
ICE
SENSITIVITY
DEPOSITION
RUNOFF
Physical Geography
Geology
Geography
Physical
Geosciences
Multidisciplinary
Journal of Glaciology
Online Access:http://ir.ieecas.cn/handle/361006/12592
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2019.100
Description
Summary:Sources and implications of black carbon (BC) and mineral dust (MD) on two glaciers on the central Tibetan Plateau were estimated based on in situ measurements and modeling. The results indicated that BC and MD accounted for 11 +/- 1% and 4 +/- 0% of the albedo reduction relative to clean snow, while the radiative forcing varied between 11 and 196 and 1-89 W m(-2), respectively. Assessment of BC and MD contributions to the glacier melt can reach up 88 to 434 and 35 to 187 mm w.e., respectively, contributing 9-23 and 4-10% of the total glacier melt. A footprint analysis indicated that BC and MD deposited on the glaciers originated mainly from the Middle East, Central Asia, North China and South Asia during the study period. Moreover, a potentially large fraction of BC may have originated from local and regional fossil fuel combustion. This study suggests that BC and MD will enhance glacier melt and provides a scientific basis for regional mitigation efforts.

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