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Sources of black carbon to the Himalayan–Tibetan Plateau glaciers

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  • Chaoliu Li

    (Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
    CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences)

  • Carme Bosch

    (Stockholm University
    The Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University)

  • Shichang Kang

    (CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences
    State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, CAS)

  • August Andersson

    (Stockholm University
    The Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University)

  • Pengfei Chen

    (Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
    University of CAS)

  • Qianggong Zhang

    (Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
    CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences)

  • Zhiyuan Cong

    (Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
    CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences)

  • Bing Chen

    (Environmental Research Institute, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University)

  • Dahe Qin

    (State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, CAS)

  • Örjan Gustafsson

    (Stockholm University
    The Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University)

Abstract

Combustion-derived black carbon (BC) aerosols accelerate glacier melting in the Himalayas and in Tibet (the Third Pole (TP)), thereby limiting the sustainable freshwater supplies for billions of people. However, the sources of BC reaching the TP remain uncertain, hindering both process understanding and efficient mitigation. Here we present the source-diagnostic Δ14C/δ13C compositions of BC isolated from aerosol and snowpit samples in the TP. For the Himalayas, we found equal contributions from fossil fuel (46±11%) and biomass (54±11%) combustion, consistent with BC source fingerprints from the Indo-Gangetic Plain, whereas BC in the remote northern TP predominantly derives from fossil fuel combustion (66±16%), consistent with Chinese sources. The fossil fuel contributions to BC in the snowpits of the inner TP are lower (30±10%), implying contributions from internal Tibetan sources (for example, yak dung combustion). Constraints on BC sources facilitate improved modelling of climatic patterns, hydrological effects and provide guidance for effective mitigation actions.

Suggested Citation

  • Chaoliu Li & Carme Bosch & Shichang Kang & August Andersson & Pengfei Chen & Qianggong Zhang & Zhiyuan Cong & Bing Chen & Dahe Qin & Örjan Gustafsson, 2016. "Sources of black carbon to the Himalayan–Tibetan Plateau glaciers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-7, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms12574
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12574
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    Cited by:

    1. Dalei Hao & Gautam Bisht & Hailong Wang & Donghui Xu & Huilin Huang & Yun Qian & L. Ruby Leung, 2023. "A cleaner snow future mitigates Northern Hemisphere snowpack loss from warming," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Downing, Andrea S. & Kumar, Manish & Andersson, August & Causevic, Amar & Gustafsson, Örjan & Joshi, Niraj U. & Krishnamurthy, Chandra Kiran B. & Scholtens, Bert & Crona, Beatrice, 2022. "Unlocking the unsustainable rice-wheat system of Indian Punjab: Assessing alternatives to crop-residue burning from a systems perspective," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    3. Brooks, Nina & Biswas, Debashish & Hossin, Raduan & Yu, Alexander & Saha, Shampa & Saha, Senjuti & Saha, Samir K. & Luby, Stephen P., 2023. "Health consequences of small-scale industrial pollution: Evidence from the brick sector in Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    4. Binod Pokharel & Shankar Sharma & Jacob Stuivenvolt-Allen & Shih-Yu Simon Wang & Matthew LaPlante & Robert R. Gillies & Sujan Khanal & Michael Wehner & Alan Rhoades & Kalpana Hamal & Benjamin Hatchett, 2023. "Amplified drought trends in Nepal increase the potential for Himalayan wildfires," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(2), pages 1-21, February.

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