Abstract
AbstractThe cosmogenic radionuclide 35S (t1/2 ~ 87 days) is a unique tracer for high‐altitude air mass and has been used extensively to understand stratospheric air mass mixing. In this paper, we investigate if 35S can be utilized as an independent tracer to quantify glacier melt. We report the first measurements of 35S in samples collected from the Tibetan Plateau during 2009–2012 with an aim to interpret 35S in atmospheric particles and their deposition over glacier and snowmelts. Our measurements show that 35S activity in the aerosol phase varies from 116 ± 13 to 2229 ± 52 atoms/m3 resulting in higher values during winter–spring and lower values during summer–autumn. This seasonality is likely due to higher mixing of 35S‐rich stratospheric air masses during winter–spring and 35S‐poor air masses from the Bay of Bengal during the Asian summer monsoon. The average 35S activity in the Zhadang glacier was found to be 3–8 times higher relative to the nearby lake water. The main source of 35S activity in the Zhadang glacier is atmospheric deposition, whereas both atmospheric deposition and glacier snowmelt are the primary sources in the Nam Co Lake. The focus of this study is to quantitatively determine the spatial and temporal variations in glacier snowmelt. In the future, extensive sampling of aerosols and snow is required for determining 35S in combination with stable oxygen isotopes in sulfate to better understand the glacier melt process and hydrological cycle on the Tibetan Plateau.
Highlights
The Tibetan Plateau (27°N–45°N, 70°E–105°E, average elevation ~4 km) is a home to nearly 36,800 glaciers amounting to a total glacial area of ~49,873 km2 [Kang et al, 2010]
Similar to bulk sulfate concentration, the concentration of total suspended particle (TSP) at Nam Co station ranges from 48 to 361 nmol/m3 with maximum concentrations observed during spring and summer periods [Cong et al, 2009]
Sulfur-35 activity was measured in atmospheric samples collected from the Tibetan Plateau
Summary
The Tibetan Plateau (27°N–45°N, 70°E–105°E, average elevation ~4 km) is a home to nearly 36,800 glaciers amounting to a total glacial area of ~49,873 km2 [Kang et al, 2010]. 35S activity in sulfate aerosols depends on several atmospheric parameters [Lal and Peters, 1967; Priyadarshi et al., 2011b, 2012; Tanaka and Turekian, 1991, 1995; Turekian and Tanaka, 1992]: (i) sampling location due to altitudinal and latitudinal dependency of 35S production rates, (ii) rate of oxidation of 35S to 35SO42À via 35SO2, set by oxidant levels of OH/H2O2/O3, and UV photolysis flux, (iii) air mass mixing between the troposphere and stratosphere, which brings 35S-rich air mass from stratosphere to the boundary layer, and (iv) loss by scavenging processes (wet and dry deposition) which is controlled by wind speed, rain, and snow deposition rates. We present the first attempt to determine 35S in samples collected from various locations in the Tibetan Plateau
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