scholarly journals Black carbon and mineral dust in snow cover on the Third Pole

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulan Zhang ◽  
Shichang Kang ◽  
Michael Sprenger ◽  
Zhiyuan Cong ◽  
Tanguang Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
The Third ◽  
Regional Climate Projections

Abstract. Light-absorbing impurities (including black carbon, organic carbon, and mineral dust) deposited on snow can reduce surface albedo and contribute to the near-worldwide melting of snow cover and ice. This study found that the black carbon, organic carbon, and dust concentrations in snow cover ranged generally from 202–17 468 ng g−1, 491–13 880 ng g−1, and 22–846 µg g−1, respectively, with higher concentrations in the central to northern areas of the Third Pole region (referred to by scientists also as the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding mountains). Footprint analyses suggested that the northern Third Pole was influenced mainly by air masses from Central Asia with some Euro-Asia influence; air masses in the central and Himalayan region originated mainly from Central and South Asia. The open burning-sourced black carbon contributions decreased from ~ 50 % in the southern Third Pole region to ~ 30 % in the northern Third Pole region. The contribution of black carbon and dust to snow albedo reduction reached approximately 37 % and 15 %, respectively. The effect of black carbon and dust reduced the average snow cover duration by 3.1 ± 0.1 days to 4.4 ± 0.2 days. Meanwhile, the black carbon and dust had an import implication for snowmelt water loss over the Third Pole region. Findings indicate that the impacts of black carbon and mineral dust need to be properly accounted for in future regional climate projections, particularly in the high-altitude cryosphere.

scholarly journals Black carbon and mineral dust in snow cover on the Tibetan Plateau

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulan Zhang ◽  
Shichang Kang ◽  
Michael Sprenger ◽  
Zhiyuan Cong ◽  
Tanguang Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Mountainous Regions

Abstract. Snow cover plays a key role for sustaining ecology and society in mountainous regions. Light-absorbing particulates (including black carbon, organic carbon, and mineral dust) deposited on snow can reduce surface albedo and contribute to the near-worldwide melting of snow and ice. This study focused on understanding the role of black carbon and other water-insoluble light-absorbing particulates in the snow cover of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The results found that the black carbon, organic carbon, and dust concentrations in snow cover generally ranged from 202 to 17 468 ng g−1, 491 to 13 880 ng g−1, and 22 to 846 µg g−1, respectively, with higher concentrations in the central to northern areas of the TP. Back trajectory analysis suggested that the northern TP was influenced mainly by air masses from Central Asia with some Eurasian influence, and air masses in the central and Himalayan region originated mainly from Central and South Asia. The relative biomass-burning-sourced black carbon contributions decreased from ∼ 50 % in the southern TP to ∼ 30 % in the northern TP. The relative contribution of black carbon and dust to snow albedo reduction reached approximately 37 and 15 %, respectively. The effect of black carbon and dust reduced the snow cover duration by 3.1 ± 0.1 to 4.4 ± 0.2 days. Meanwhile, the black carbon and dust had important implications for snowmelt water loss over the TP. The findings indicate that the impacts of black carbon and mineral dust need to be properly accounted for in future regional climate projections, particularly in the high-altitude cryosphere.

scholarly journals Supplementary material to "Black carbon and mineral dust in snow cover on the Third Pole"

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulan Zhang ◽  
Shichang Kang ◽  
Michael Sprenger ◽  
Zhiyuan Cong ◽  
Tanguang Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
The Third ◽  
Supplementary Material

scholarly journals Snow cover sensitivity to black carbon deposition in the Himalayas: from atmospheric and ice core measurements to regional climate simulations

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 4237-4249 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ménégoz ◽  
G. Krinner ◽  
Y. Balkanski ◽  
O. Boucher ◽  
A. Cozic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Short Wave ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Snow Cover Duration ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. We applied a climate-chemistry global model to evaluate the impact of black carbon (BC) deposition on the Himalayan snow cover from 1998 to 2008. Using a stretched grid with a resolution of 50 km over this complex topography, the model reproduces reasonably well the remotely sensed observations of the snow cover duration. Similar to observations, modelled atmospheric BC concentrations in the central Himalayas reach a minimum during the monsoon and a maximum during the post- and pre-monsoon periods. Comparing the simulated BC concentrations in the snow with observations is more challenging because of their high spatial variability and complex vertical distribution. We simulated spring BC concentrations in surface snow varying from tens to hundreds of μg kg−1, higher by one to two orders of magnitude than those observed in ice cores extracted from central Himalayan glaciers at high elevations (>6000 m a.s.l.), but typical for seasonal snow cover sampled in middle elevation regions (<6000 m a.s.l.). In these areas, we estimate that both wet and dry BC depositions affect the Himalayan snow cover reducing its annual duration by 1 to 8 days. In our simulations, the effect of anthropogenic BC deposition on snow is quite low over the Tibetan Plateau because this area is only sparsely snow covered. However, the impact becomes larger along the entire Hindu-Kush, Karakorum and Himalayan mountain ranges. In these regions, BC in snow induces an increase of the net short-wave radiation at the surface with an annual mean of 1 to 3 W m−2 leading to a localised warming between 0.05 and 0.3 °C.

scholarly journals APCC Data Report I: Black carbon and organic carbon dataset from atmosphere, glaciers, snow cover, precipitation, and lake sediment cores over the Third Pole

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shichang Kang ◽  
Yulan Zhang ◽  
Pengfei Chen ◽  
Junming Guo ◽  
Qianggong Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Lake Sediment ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Atmospheric Pollutants ◽  
The Third ◽  
Cryospheric Change

Abstract. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) and its surroundings, known as the Third Pole, play an important role in the regional and global climate and hydrological cycle. Carbonaceous aerosols (CAs), including black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC), can directly/indirectly absorb and scatter solar radiation, and change the energy balance on Earth. CAs, along with other atmospheric pollutants (e.g., mercury), can frequently be transported over long distances into the inland TP. During the last decade, a coordinated monitoring network and research program on Atmospheric Pollution and Cryospheric Change (APCC) has been gradually setup and continuously operated within the Third Pole regions to investigate the linkage between atmospheric pollutants and cryospheric change. This paper presents a systematic dataset of BC, OC, water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and water insoluble organic carbon (WIOC) from aerosols (19 stations), glaciers (17 glaciers, including samples from surface snow/ice, snowpit, and two ice cores), snow cover (2 stations continuous observed, and 138 sites surveyed), precipitation (6 stations), and lake sediment cores (7 lakes) collected across the TP and its surroundings, as the first dataset released from this APCC program. These data were created based on online (in-situ) and laboratory measurements. High-resolution (daily scale) atmospheric equivalent BC (eBC) concentrations were obtained by using an aethalometer (AE-33) in the Mt. Everest (Qomolangma) region, which can provide a new insight into the mechanism of BC transportation over the Himalayas. Spatial distributions of BC, OC, WSOC and WIOC from aerosols, glaciers, snow cover, and precipitation indicated different features among the different regions of the TP, which were mostly influenced by emission sources, transport, and deposition processes. Several hundred years of refractory BC (rBC) records from ice cores and BC from lake sediment cores revealed the strength of human activities since the industrial revolution. BC isotopes from glaciers and aerosols identified the relative contributions of biomass and fossil fuel combustion to BC deposition on the Himalayas and TP. Mass absorption cross section of BC and WSOC from aerosol, glaciers, snow cover, and precipitation samples were also provided. This updated dataset is released to the scientific communities focusing on atmospheric science, cryospheric science, hydrology, climatology and environmental science. The related datasets are presented in the form of excel files. These files are available to download from the State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences at Lanzhou  (https://doi.org/10.12072/ncdc.NIEER.db0114.2021, Kang and Zhang, 2021). In the future, datasets of mercury, heavy metals, and POPs will be reported.

scholarly journals Observed high-altitude warming and snow cover retreat over Tibet and the Himalayas enhanced by black carbon aerosols

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 1303-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Xu ◽  
V. Ramanathan ◽  
W. M. Washington
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Global Climate Model ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Surface Warming ◽  
Snow Cover Extent

Abstract. Himalayan mountain glaciers and the snowpack over the Tibetan Plateau provide the headwater of several major rivers in Asia. In situ observations of snow cover extent since the 1960s suggest that the snowpack in the region have retreated significantly, accompanied by a surface warming of 2–2.5 °C observed over the peak altitudes (5000 m). Using a high-resolution ocean–atmosphere global climate model and an observationally constrained black carbon (BC) aerosol forcing, we attribute the observed altitude dependence of the warming trends as well as the spatial pattern of reductions in snow depths and snow cover extent to various anthropogenic factors. At the Tibetan Plateau altitudes, the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration exerted a warming of 1.7 °C, BC 1.3 °C where as cooling aerosols cause about 0.7 °C cooling, bringing the net simulated warming consistent with the anomalously large observed warming. We therefore conclude that BC together with CO2 has contributed to the snow retreat trends. In particular, BC increase is the major factor in the strong elevation dependence of the observed surface warming. The atmospheric warming by BC as well as its surface darkening of snow is coupled with the positive snow albedo feedbacks to account for the disproportionately large role of BC in high-elevation regions. These findings reveal that BC impact needs to be properly accounted for in future regional climate projections, in particular on high-altitude cryosphere.

scholarly journals Observed high-altitude warming and snow cover retreat over Tibet and the Himalayas enhanced by black carbon aerosols

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (13) ◽  
pp. 19079-19109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Xu ◽  
V. Ramanathan ◽  
W. M. Washington
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Global Climate Model ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Surface Warming ◽  
Snow Cover Fraction

Abstract. Himalayan mountain glaciers and the snowpack over the Tibetan Plateau provide the headwater of several major rivers in Asia. In-situ observations of snow cover fraction since the 1960s suggest that the snow pack in the region have retreated significantly, accompanied by a surface warming of 2–2.5 °C observed over the peak altitudes (5000 m). Using a high-resolution ocean–atmosphere global climate model and an observationally constrained black carbon (BC) aerosol forcing, we attribute the observed altitude dependence of the warming trends as well as the spatial pattern of reductions in snow depths and snow cover fraction to various anthropogenic factors. At the Tibetan Plateau altitudes, the increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration exerted a warming of 1.7 °C, BC 1.3 °C where as cooling aerosols cause about 0.7 °C cooling, bringing the net simulated warming consistent with the anomalously large observed warming. We therefore conclude that BC together with CO2 has contributed to the snow retreat trends. Especially, BC increase is the major factor in the strong elevation dependence of the observed surface warming. The atmospheric warming by BC as well as its surface darkening of snow are coupled with the positive snow albedo feedbacks to account for the disproportionately large role of BC in high-elevation regions. These findings reveal that BC impact needs to be properly accounted for in future regional climate projections, in particular on high-altitude cryosphere.

Regional Climate Scenarios for use in Nordic Water Resources Studies

2003 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Rummukainen ◽  
J. Räisänen ◽  
D. Bjørge ◽  
J.H. Christensen ◽  
O.B. Christensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Models ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Climate Scenarios ◽  
Soil Frost ◽  
Nordic Region ◽  
Regional Climate Projections

According to global climate projections, a substantial global climate change will occur during the next decades, under the assumption of continuous anthropogenic climate forcing. Global models, although fundamental in simulating the response of the climate system to anthropogenic forcing are typically geographically too coarse to well represent many regional or local features. In the Nordic region, climate studies are conducted in each of the Nordic countries to prepare regional climate projections with more detail than in global ones. Results so far indicate larger temperature changes in the Nordic region than in the global mean, regional increases and decreases in net precipitation, longer growing season, shorter snow season etc. These in turn affect runoff, snowpack, groundwater, soil frost and moisture, and thus hydropower production potential, flooding risks etc. Regional climate models do not yet fully incorporate hydrology. Water resources studies are carried out off-line using hydrological models. This requires archived meteorological output from climate models. This paper discusses Nordic regional climate scenarios for use in regional water resources studies. Potential end-users of water resources scenarios are the hydropower industry, dam safety instances and planners of other lasting infrastructure exposed to precipitation, river flows and flooding.

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