Abstract
Black carbon (BC) from fossil fuel and biomass combustion darkens the snow and makes it melt sooner. The BC footprint of research activities and tourism in Antarctica has likely increased as human presence in the continent has surged in recent decades. Here, we report on measurements of the BC concentration in snow samples from 28 sites across a transect of about 2,000 km from the northern tip of Antarctica (62°S) to the southern Ellsworth Mountains (79°S). Our surveys show that BC content in snow surrounding research facilities and popular shore tourist-landing sites is considerably above background levels measured elsewhere in the continent. The resulting radiative forcing is accelerating snow melting and shrinking the snowpack on BC-impacted areas on the Antarctic Peninsula and associated archipelagos by up to 23 mm water equivalent (w.e.) every summer.
Highlights
Black carbon (BC) from fossil fuel and biomass combustion darkens the snow and makes it melt sooner
Our surveys have shown that BC content in snow surrounding research facilities and popular shore tourist-landing sites (2 to 4 ng/g), while well below BC concentrations typical of other remote regions, is considerably above background levels measured elsewhere in the continent (~1 ng/g)
The radiative forcing owing to measured BC concentration is accelerating snowmelt and shrinking the snowpack of BCimpacted areas of the Antarctic Peninsula and associated archipelagos by up to 23 mm w.e. every summer
Summary
Black carbon (BC) from fossil fuel and biomass combustion darkens the snow and makes it melt sooner. The presence of BC has been confirmed in Antarctic snow[15,16,17,18] and in Antarctic ice cores[19,20,21] These efforts have shown that background levels of BC in the Antarctic cryosphere, expressed as a concentration in mass per unit mass of meltwater extracted (e.g., ng/g), are consistently below 1 ng/g, at least one order of magnitude lower than in Arctic snow[3,4,5,6,7]. Ice-free areas in the northeast Antarctic Peninsula (about 312 km2) drive dust deposition into that region[31,32], while BC content in snow surrounding research stations, such as Palmer Station[16], McMurdo Dry Valley Field Stations[17] and the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station[18], has been shown to be considerably above background levels
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
