Abstract
<p>Carbonaceous matter, including organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC), is an important climate forcing agent and contributes to glacier retreat in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau (HTP). The HTP - the so-called “Third Pole” – contains the most extensive glacial area outside of the polar regions. Considerable research on carbonaceous matter in the HTP has been conducted, although this research has been challenging due to the complex terrain and strong spatiotemporal heterogeneity of carbonaceous matter in the HTP. A comprehensive investigation of published atmospheric and snow data for HTP carbonaceous matter concentration, deposition and light absorption is presented, including how these factors vary with time and other parameters. Carbonaceous matter concentrations in the atmosphere and glaciers of the HTP are found to be low. Analysis of water-insoluable organic carbon and BC from snowpits reveals that concentrations of OC and BC in the atmosphere and glacier samples in arid regions of the HTP may be overestimated due to contributions from inorganic carbon in mineral dust. Due to the remote nature of the HTP, carbonaceous matter found in the HTP has generally been transported from outside the HTP (e.g., South Asia), although local HTP emissions may also be important at some sites. This study provides essential data and a synthesis of current thinking for studies on atmospheric transport modeling and radiative forcing of carbonaceous matter in the HTP.</p>
Highlights
Carbonaceous aerosols, including organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC), play an important role in the climate system
Carbonaceous particles deposited on snow and ice surfaces are referred to as carbo naceous matter, which can be classified into BC, water-insoluble organic carbon (WIOC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC; the equivalent of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in aerosol studies) (Li et al, 2016c)
Most of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau (HTP) is influenced by carbonaceous particles transported long distance, locally sourced carbonaceous matter from fossil fuel and biomass combustion substantially contribute to pollutants in urban cities and some remote stations, respectively
Summary
Carbonaceous aerosols, including organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC), play an important role in the climate system. Previously reported in situ data and conclusions need to be critically investigated and constrained This would allow a better understanding of the status of carbonaceous particles in the HTP and provide better reference values for studies focusing on radiative forcing estimates and modeling (Chung et al, 2012; He et al, 2014). After considering potential influencing factors, this review seeks to provide an improved/corrected database of the concentrations, compositions, deposition, and light-absorbing properties of carbonaceous matter in the HTP, which distin guishes this review from previous studies (e.g., Gertler et al, 2016; Ming et al, 2013; Yan et al, 2018; Zhang and Kang, 2017). In situ observational data have been utilized to elucidate several fundamental characteristics of carbonaceous particles, including concentrations; relative ratios among WIOC, BC, and WSOC; light absorption characteristics; deposition; and sources of the above mentioned components in the atmosphere and glaciers of the HTP. A perspective on promising future research directions is presented
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