An overview of black carbon deposition in High Asia glaciers and its impacts on radiation balance |
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| Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China;2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China;3. CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;4. College of Earth Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China;5. Institute of Arid Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Lanzhou 730020, China;6. College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730030, China;1. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China;2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;3. CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;4. Tanggula Cryosphere and Environment Observation Station, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China;5. Laboratory of Green Chemistry, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, FIN-50130 Mikkeli, Finland;6. Himalayan Environment Research Institute (HERI), Kathmandu, Nepal;7. Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;8. Key Laboratory of Arid Climatic Change and Disaster Reducing of Gansu Province, Institute of Arid Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Lanzhou 730020, China |
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| Abstract: | Since 2000, 18 High Asia glaciers have been surveyed for black carbon (BC) deposition 22 times, and numerous snow samples and ice cores have been collected by researchers. However, most of the results were interpreted individually in papers. Here, we assemble the data and discuss the distribution of BC deposition and its impacts on the melting of the glaciers through radiative forcing. We find that BC distribution on the surfaces of High Asia glaciers primarily depends upon their elevations (i.e., higher sites have lower concentrations) and then upon regional BC emissions and surface melting conditions. BC concentrations in High Asia glaciers are similar to the Arctic and western American mountains but are significantly less than heavy industrialized areas such as northern China. Although Himalayan glaciers, which are important due to their water resources, are directly facing the strong emissions from South Asia, their mean BC is the lowest due to high elevations. A new finding indicated by ice core records suggested that great valleys in the eastern Himalayan section are effective pathways for BC entering the Tibetan Plateau and make increasing BC trends in the local glaciers. On average, BC deposition causes a mean forcing of ～6 W m?2 (roughly estimated 5% of the total forcing) in High Asia glaciers and therefore may not be a major factor impacting the melting of most glaciers. |
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