A preliminary study on measurements of black carbon in the atmosphere of northwest Qilian Shan

South and Southeast Asia controls black carbon characteristics of Meili Snow Mountains in southeast Tibetan Plateau

South and Southeast Asia (SSA) emitted black carbon (BC) exerts potential effects on glacier and snow melting and regional climate change in the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, online BC measurements were conducted for 1 year at a remote village located at the terminus of the Mingyong Glacier below the Meili Snow Mountains. The Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) was used to investigate the contribution and potential effect of SSA-emitted BC. In addition, variations in the light absorption characteristics of BC and brown carbon (BrC) were examined. The results indicated that the annual mean concentration of BC was 415 ± 372 ngm-3, with the highest concentration observed in April (monthly mean: 930 ± 484 ngm-3). BC exhibited a similar diurnal variation throughout the year, with two peaks observed in the morning (from 8:00 to 9:00 AM) and in the afternoon (from 4:00 to 5:00 PM), with even lower values at nighttime. At a short wavelength of 370 nm, the absorption coefficient (babs) reached its maximum value, and the majority of babs values were < 20 Mm-1, indicating that the atmosphere was not overloaded with BC. At the same wavelength, BrC substantially contributed to babs, with an annual mean of 25.2 % ± 12.8 %. SSA was the largest contributor of BC (annual mean: 51.1 %) in the study area, particularly in spring (65.6 %). However, its contributions reached 20.2 % in summer, indicating non-negligible emissions from activities in other regions. In the atmosphere, the SSA BC-induced radiative forcing (RF) over the study region was positive. While at the near surface, the RF exhibited a significant seasonal variation, with the larger RF values occurring in winter and spring. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of controlling BC emissions from SSA to protect the Tibetan Plateau against pollution-related glacier and snow cover melting.

Variability of ambient black carbon concentration in the Central Himalaya and its assessment over the Hindu Kush Himalayan region

During 2015-2018, eight black carbon (BC) monitoring sites were established in Nepal and Bhutan to fill a significant data gap regarding BC measurement in Central Himalaya. This manuscript analyzes and presents data from these eight stations and one additional station on the Tibetan plateau (TP). Complex topography, varied emission sources, and atmospheric transport pathways significantly impacted the BC concentrations across these stations, with annual mean concentrations varying from 36 ng m^-3 to 45,737 ng m^-3. Higher annual mean concentrations (5609 ± 4515 ng m^-3) were recorded at low-altitude sites than in other locations, with seasonal concentrations highest in the winter (7316 ± 2541 ng m^-3). In contrast, the annual mean concentrations were lowest at high-altitude sites (376 ± 448 ng m^-3); the BC concentrations at these sites peaked during the pre-monsoon season (930 ± 685 ng m^-3). Potential source contributions to the total observed BC were analyzed using the absorption angstrom exponent (AAE). AAE analysis showed the dominance of biomass burning sources (>50 %), except in Kathmandu. By combining our data with previously published literature, we put our measurements in perspective by presenting a comprehensive assessment of BC concentrations and their variability over the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. The BC levels in all three geographic regions, high, mid, and low altitude significantly influenced by the persistent seasonal meteorology. However, the mid-altitude stations were substantially affected by valley dynamics and urbanization. The low-altitude stations experienced high BC concentrations during the winter and post-monsoon seasons. Concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) and frequency analyses revealed the dominance of long-range transported pollution during winter over HKH, from west to east. South Asian sources remained significant during the monsoon season. During pre- and post-monsoon, the local, regional, and long-distance pollution varied depending on the location of the receptor site.

Carbonaceous matter in the atmosphere and glaciers of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau: An investigative review

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 review provides essential data and a synthesis of current thinking for studies on atmospheric transport modeling and radiative forcing of carbonaceous matter in the HTP.

Carbonaceous Aerosols in PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 Size Fractions over the Lanzhou City, Northwest China

Carbonaceous particles have been confirmed as major components of ambient aerosols in urban environments and are related to climate impacts and environmental and health effects. In this study, we collected different-size particulate matter (PM) samples (PM1, PM2.5, and PM10) at an urban site in Lanzhou, northwest China, during three discontinuous one-month periods (January, April, and July) of 2019. We measured the concentrations and potential transport pathways of carbonaceous aerosols in PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 size fractions. The average concentrations of OC (organic carbon) and EC (elemental carbon) in PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 were 6.98 ± 3.71 and 2.11 ± 1.34 μg/m3, 8.6 ± 5.09 and 2.55 ± 1.44 μg/m3, and 11.6 ± 5.72 and 4.01 ± 1.72 μg/m3. The OC and EC concentrations in PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 had similar seasonal trends, with higher values in winter due to the favorable meteorology for accumulating pollutants and urban-increased emissions from heating. Precipitation played a key role in scavenge pollutants, resulting in lower OC and EC concentrations in summer. The OC/EC ratios and principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the dominant pollution sources of carbon components in the PMs in Lanzhou were biomass burning, coal combustion, and diesel and gasoline vehicle emissions; and the backward trajectory and concentration weight trajectory (CWT) analysis further suggested that the primary pollution source of EC in Lanzhou was local fossil fuel combustion.

Long-term (2008-2018) aerosol properties and radiative effect at high-altitude sites over western trans-Himalayas

Analysis of the climatology of aerosol properties is performed over Hanle (4500 m) and Merak (4310 m), two remote-background sites in the western trans-Himalayas, based on eleven years (2008-2018) of sun/sky radiometer (POM-01, Prede) measurements. The two sites present very similar atmospheric conditions and aerosol properties allowing us to examine them as continuous single-data series. The annual average aerosol optical depth at 500 nm (AOD₅₀₀) is 0.04 ± 0.03, associated with an Ångström exponent (AE_440-870) of 0.58 ± 0.35 and a single scattering albedo (SSA₅₀₀) of 0.95 ± 0.05. AOD₅₀₀ exhibits higher values in May (~0.07) and lower in winter (~0.03), while AE_400-870 minimizes in spring, indicating influence by coarse-mode dust aerosols, either emitted regionally or long-range transported. The de-convolution of AOD₅₀₀ into fine and coarse modes justifies the aerosol seasonality and sources, while the marginal diurnal variation in all aerosol properties reveals a weak influence from local sources, except for some few aerosol episodes. The aerosol-volume size distribution presents a mode value at ~10 μm with secondary peaks at accumulation (~ 2 μm) and fine modes (~0.03 μm) and low variability between the seasons. A classification of the aerosol types based on the fine-mode fraction (FMF) vs. SSA₅₀₀ relationship reveals the dominance of aerosols in the FMF range of 0.4-0.6, characterized as mixed (39%), followed by fine aerosols with high scattering efficiency (26%), while particles related to dust contribute ~21%, with low fractions of fine-absorbing aerosols (~13%). The aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) estimates reveal a small cooling effect at the top of the atmosphere (-1.3 Wm^-2), while at the surface, the ARF ranges from -2 Wm^-2 to -6 Wm^-2 on monthly basis. The monthly-mean atmospheric radiative forcing (~1 to 4 Wm^-2) leads to heating rates of 0.04 to 0.13 K day^-1. These ARF values are higher than the global averages and may cause climate implications over the trans-Himalayan region.

Black Carbon: The Concentration and Sources Study at the Nam Co Lake, the Tibetan Plateau from 2015 to 2016

We measured black carbon (BC) with a seven-wavelength aethalometer (AE-31) at the Nam Co Lake (NCL), the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) from May 2015 to April 2016. The daily average concentration of BC was 145 ± 85 ng m−3, increasing by 50% since 2006. The seasonal variation of BC shows higher concentrations in spring and summer and lower concentrations in autumn and winter, dominated by the adjacent sources and meteorological conditions. The diurnal variation of BC showed that its concentrations peaked at 9:00–16:00 (UTC + 8), significantly related to local human activities (e.g., animal-manure burning and nearby traffic due to the tourism industry). The concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis showed that the long-distance transport of BC from South Asia could also be a potential contributor to BC at the NCL, as well as the biomass burning by the surrounding residents. The analyses of the absorption coefficient and absorption Ångström exponent show the consistency of sourcing the BC at the NCL. We suggest here that urgent measures should be taken to protect the atmospheric environment at the NCL, considering the fast-increasing concentrations of BC as an indicator of fuel combustion.

One-Year Measurements of Equivalent Black Carbon, Optical Properties, and Sources in the Urumqi River Valley, Tien Shan, China

Equivalent black carbon (EBC) was measured with a seven-wavelength Aethalometer (AE-31) in the Urumqi River Valley, eastern Tien Shan, China. This is the first high-resolution, online measurement of EBC conducted in the eastern Tien Shan allowing analysis of the seasonal and hourly variations of the light absorption properties of EBC. Results showed that the highest concentrations of EBC were in autumn, followed by those in summer. The hourly variations of EBC showed two plateaus during 8:00–9:00 h local time (LT) and 16:00–19:00 h LT, respectively. The contribution of biomass burning to EBC in winter and spring was higher than in summer and autumn. The planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) showed an inverse relationship with EBC concentrations, suggesting that the reduction of the PBLH leads to enhanced EBC. The aerosol optical depths (AOD) over the Urumqi River Valley, derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data and back trajectory analysis, showed that the pollution from Central Asia was more likely to affect the atmosphere of Tien Shan in summer and autumn. This suggests that long-distance transported pollutants from Central Asia could also be potential contributors to EBC concentrations in the Urumqi River Valley, the same as local anthropogenic activities.

Critical contribution of south Asian residential emissions to atmospheric black carbon over the Tibetan plateau

Black carbon (BC) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), both in the air and deposited on the surface of snow and ice, has been shown to accelerate the retreat of mountain glaciers. Previous study indicated that South Asian anthropogenic emissions primarily contributed to atmospheric loading of BC over the TP, it is essential to further identify the major sector in South Asia and provide guidance for potential mitigation strategies. In this study, the regional atmospheric chemistry model WRF-Chem was run for an entire year. The results suggested that residential BC emissions from South Asia contributed the largest (25.8% in summer and 44.8% in winter) to BC concentrations over the TP compared to other anthropogenic emission sectors in the region. Furthermore, significant seasonal variability existed in the transport process of residential BC from South Asia to the TP. The South Asia monsoon during summer and the mountain-valley wind system during spring could transport South Asian residential BC across the Himalayas to the TP. However, the higher transportation flux along 30°N indicated that the transport was mainly influenced by westerly winds, implying that residential emissions from northern India were the critical source of BC aerosols over the TP. A further assessment of emission control strategies suggested that reducing emissions from South Asian residential sources can effectively reduce BC concentrations over the TP, which may potentially alleviate the TP's accelerating glacier melting.

Carbonaceous aerosol characteristics on the Third Pole: A primary study based on the Atmospheric Pollution and Cryospheric Change (APCC) network

Carbonaceous aerosols (CAs) scatter and absorb incident solar radiation in the atmosphere, thereby influencing the regional climate and hydrological cycle, particularly in the Third Pole (TP). Here, we present the characteristics of CAs at 19 observation stations from the Atmospheric Pollution and Cryospheric Change network to obtain a deep understanding of pollutant status in the TP. The organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations decreased noticeably inwards from outside to inland of the TP, consistent with their emission load and also affected by transport process and meteorological condition. Urban areas, such as Kathmandu, Karachi, and Mardan, exhibited extremely high OC and EC concentrations, with low and high values occurring in the monsoon and non-monsoon seasons, respectively. However, remote regions inland the TP (e.g., Nam Co and Ngari) demonstrated much lower OC and EC concentrations. Different seasonal variations were observed between the southern and northern parts of the TP, suggesting differences in the patterns of pollutant sources and in distance from the sources between the two regions. In addition to the influence of long-range transported pollutants from the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), the TP was affected by local emissions (e.g., biomass burning). The OC/EC ratio also suggested that biomass burning was prevalent in the center TP, whereas the marginal sites (e.g., Jomsom, Dhunche, and Laohugou) were affected by fossil fuel combustion from the up-wind regions. The mass absorption cross-section of EC (MAC_EC) at 632 nm ranged from 6.56 to 14.7 m² g^-1, with an increasing trend from outside to inland of the TP. Urban areas had low MAC_EC values because such regions were mainly affected by local fresh emissions. In addition, large amount of brown carbon can decrease the MAC_EC values in cities of South Asia. Remote sites had high MAC_EC values because of the coating enhancement of aerosols. Influenced by emission, transport process, and weather condition, the CA concentrations and MAC_EC presented decreasing and increasing trends, respectively, from outside to inland of the TP.

Distribution and health risks of aerosol black carbon in a representative city of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Although aerosol black carbon (BC) exerts strong influences on human health, research on potential health risks of aerosol BC around the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is very limited. This is the very first study to investigate the distribution of aerosol BC in a typical city of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the resulting health risks. The results showed that the maximal real-time (5-min monitoring interval) concentration of aerosol BC was 22.34 μg/m³, much higher than day- and week-averaged concentrations which were in the range of 1.28-6.15 and 1.93-4.63 μg/m³, respectively. The health risks were evaluated using four different health endpoints including low birth weight (LBW), percentage lung function decrement of school-aged children (PLFD), cardiovascular mortality (CM), and lung cancer (LC). The highest risks of LBW, PLFD, CM, and LC had reached 69.5, 184.4, 67.4, and 31.8 numbers of equivalent passively smoked cigarettes (PSC), respectively. The concentrations and health risks of aerosol BC in the study area are at a middle level among the global cities/regions. In comparison, the cities of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are experiencing high potential health risks resulting from aerosol BC to need more effective prevention and control of air pollution.

The online measured black carbon aerosol and source orientations in the Nam Co region, Tibet

Equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentrations were measured by an aethalometer (AE-31) in the Nam Co, central Tibet from 2010 to 2014. Different from previous filter-sampling studies (Ming et al., J Environ Sci 22(11):1748-1756, 2010; Zhao et al., Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:5827-5838, 2013), the first high-resolution online eBC measurement conducted in central Tibet is reported here, allowing to discuss the diurnal variations as well as seasonal variabilities of eBC. Average daily eBC concentration was 74 ± 50 ng/m³, reflecting a global background level. Meteorological conditions influenced eBC concentrations largely at seasonal scale, which are higher in February-May but lower in June-January. The highest eBC concentrations (greater than 210 ng/m³) were more associated with the W and WSW winds smaller than 6 m/s. The diurnal variations of eBC showed plateaus from 10:00 to 15:00 with seasonal variations, associated with local anthropogenic activities, such as indigenous Tibetan burning animal waste and tourism traffic. The PBLHs showed a co-variance with eBC concentrations, implicating close sources. The aerosol optical depths derived from the MODIS data over the Nam Co Observatory Station (NCOS)-included sub-area (30° N-40° N, 90° E-100° E) showed significant relationship with eBC concentrations. This suggests that nearby or short-distance sources other than long-distance transported pollutants could be important contributors to eBC concentrations at the NCOS, different from the conclusions suggested by previous studies.

Two distinct patterns of seasonal variation of airborne black carbon over Tibetan Plateau

Airborne black carbon (BC) mass concentrations were measured from November 2012 to June 2013 at Ranwu and Beiluhe, located in the southeastern and central Tibetan Plateau, respectively. Monthly mean BC concentrations show a winter (November-February) high (413.2ngm^-3) and spring (March-June) low (139.1ngm^-3) at Ranwu, but in contrast a winter low and spring high at Beiluhe (204.8 and 621.6ngm^-3, respectively). By examining the meteorological conditions at various scales, we found that the monthly variation of airborne BC over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) was highly influenced by regional precipitation and over the hinterland by winds. Local precipitation at both sites showed little impact on the seasonal variation of airborne BC concentrations. Potential BC source regions are identified using air mass backward trajectory analysis. At Ranwu, BC was dominated by the air masses from the northeastern India and Bangladesh in both winter and spring, whereas at Beiluhe it was largely contributed by air masses from the south slope of Himalayas in winter, and from the arid region in the north of the TP in spring. The winter and spring seasonal peak of BC in the southern TP is largely contributed by emissions from South Asia, and this seasonal variation is heavily influenced by the regional monsoon. In the northern TP, BC had high concentrations during spring and summer seasons, which is very likely associated with more efficient transport of BC over the arid regions on the north of Tibetan Plateau and in Central Asia. Airborne BC concentrations at the Ranwu sampling site showed a significant diurnal cycle with a peak shortly after sunrise followed by a decrease before noon in both winter and spring, likely shaped by local human activities and the diurnal variation of wind speed. At the Beiluhe sampling site, the diurnal variation of BC is different and less distinct.

Physico-chemical characterization and source tracking of black carbon at a suburban site in Beijing

Particles from ambient air and combustion sources including vehicle emission, coal combustion and biomass burning were collected and chemically pretreated with the purpose of obtaining isolated BC (black carbon) samples. TEM (transmission electron microscopy) results indicate that BC from combustion sources shows various patterns, and airborne BC appears spherical and about 50 nm in diameter with a homogeneous surface and turbostratic structure. The BET (Barrett-Emmett-Teller) results suggest that the surface areas of these BC particles fall in the range of 3-23 m2/g, with a total pore volume of 0.03-0.05 cm3/g and a mean pore diameter of 7-53 nm. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms are indicative of the accumulation mode and uniform pore size. O2-TPO (temperature programmed oxidation) profiles suggest that the airborne BC oxidation could be classified as the oxidation of amorphous carbon, which falls in the range of 406-490°C with peaks at 418, 423 and 475°C, respectively. Generally, the BC characteristics and source analysis suggest that airborne BC most likely comes from diesel vehicle emission at this site.

Black carbon aerosol characterization in a remote area of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, western China

The concentrations, size distributions, and mixing states of refractory black carbon (rBC) aerosols were measured with a ground-based Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2), and aerosol absorption was measured with an Aethalometer at Qinghai Lake (QHL), a rural area in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau of China in October 2011. The area was not pristine, with an average rBC mass concentration of 0.36 μg STP-m(-3) during the two-week campaign period. The rBC concentration peaked at night and reached the minimal in the afternoon. This diurnal cycle of concentration is negatively correlated with the mixed layer depth and ventilation. When air masses from the west of QHL were sampled in late afternoon to early evening, the average rBC concentration of 0.21 μg STP-m(-3) was observed, representing the rBC level in a larger Tibetan Plateau region because of the highest mixed layer depth. A lognormal primary mode with mass median diameter (MMD) of ~175 nm, and a small secondary lognormal mode with MMD of 470-500 nm of rBC were observed. Relative reduction in the secondary mode during a snow event supports recent work that suggested size dependent removal of rBC by precipitation. About 50% of the observed rBC cores were identified as thickly coated by non-BC material. A comparison of the Aethalometer and SP2 measurements suggests that non-BC species significantly affect the Aethalometer measurements in this region. A scaling factor for the Aethalometer data at a wavelength of 880 nm is therefore calculated based on the measurements, which may be used to correct other Aethalometer datasets collected in this region for a more accurate estimate of the rBC loading. The results present here significantly improve our understanding of the characteristics of rBC aerosol in the less studied Tibetan Plateau region and further highlight the size dependent removal of BC via precipitation.

Observation of carbonaceous aerosols during 2006-2009 in Nyainqêntanglha Mountains and the implications for glaciers

Atmospheric carbonaceous aerosols were sampled discontinuously from July 2006 to December 2009 at Nam Co Comprehensive Observation and Research Station (NCOS) in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). The mean daily concentration of carbonaceous aerosols increased from 268 to 330 ng m(-3), and pollution episodes could significantly increase the mean level of carbonaceous aerosols in the total mass concentration. Organic carbon was the main component of carbonaceous aerosols at NCOS, and black carbon (BC) accounted for 5.8 %. Seven-day air masses backward trajectories calculated by the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model and the aerosol optical depth distribution in the TP and South Asia both suggested that atmospheric pollutants emitted from Northern India and South Asia could penetrate into central TP by southwest winds. Due to the seasonal variations of emission sources and regional atmospheric conditions, calculated BC deposition flux in the nonmonsoon season was higher than that in the monsoon season. Increased BC concentration in snowpack in winter from 2007 to 2009 indicated that the atmospheric environment in central TP became more polluted and the influences from human activities have strengthened. Pollution episodes could significantly increase BC concentrations in the snowpack on a seasonal scale, which would furthermore affect the surface albedo.