PNNL

Abstract

High temporal resolution measurements of black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) covering the time period of 1956-2006 in an ice core over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau show a distinct seasonal dependence of OC/BC ratio with higher values in the non-monsoon season than during the summer monsoon. We use a global aerosol-climate model, in which BC emitted from different source regions can be explicitly tracked, to quantify BC source-receptor relationships between four Asian source regions and the southern Tibetan Plateau as a receptor. The model results show that South Asia is a primary contributor during the non-monsoon season (October to May) (81%) and on an annual basis (74%), followed by East Asia (14% and 21%, respectively). The ice-core record also indicates stable and relatively low BC and OC deposition fluxes from late 1950s to 1980, followed by an overall increase to recent years. This trend is consistent with the BC and OC emission inventories and the fuel consumption of South Asia as the primary contributor. Moreover, the increasing trend of OC/BC ratio since the early 1990s indicates a growing contribution of coal combustion and biomass burning to the emissions. The estimated radiative forcing induced by BC/OC impurities in snow has increased since 1980, suggesting an increasing influence of carbonaceous aerosols on the Tibetan glacier melting, influencing the availability of water resources in the surrounding regions. Our study indicates that the role of OC deserves more attention because of its non-negligible light absorption and the more rapid increase than BC