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Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ›› 2017, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (2): 97-111.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2017.00097

   

Light-absorbing impurities on Keqikaer Glacier in western Tien Shan: concentrations and potential impact on albedo reduction

YuLan Zhang1, ShiChang Kang1,2, Min Xu1, Michael Sprenger3, TanGuang Gao4, ZhiYuan Cong2,5, ChaoLiu Li2,5, JunMing Guo5, ZhiQiang Xu6, Yang Li5, Gang Li7, XiaoFei Li1, YaJun Liu1, HaiDong Han1   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, Gansu 73000, China;
    2. CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
    3. Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland;
    4. Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental System(Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China;
    5. Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China;
    6. Meteorological Bureau of Jimunai County, Jimunai, Xinjiang 836800, China;
    7. Arid Meteorological Research Institute, Lanzhou Meteorological Bureau, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
  • Received:2016-11-17 Revised:2017-02-14 Published:2018-11-23
  • Contact: Prof. ShiChang Kang, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of EcoEnvironment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, Gansu 73000, China. E-mail: shichang.kang@ lzb.ac.cn E-mail:shichang.kang@lzb.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41630754, 41671067, and 41501063), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJZD-EW-G03-04), the State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Science (SKLCS-ZZ-2015) and the Foundation for Excellent Youth Scholars of Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, CAS.

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Abstract: Light-absorbing impurities on glaciers are important factors that influence glacial surface albedo and accelerate glacier melt. In this study, the quantity of light-absorbing impurities on Keqikaer Glacier in western Tien Shan, Central Asia, was measured. We found that the average concentrations of black carbon was 2,180 ng/g, with a range from 250 ng/g to more than 10,000 ng/g. The average concentrations of organic carbon and mineral dust were 1,738 ng/g and 194 μg/g, respectively. Based on simulations performed with the Snow Ice Aerosol Radiative model simulations, black carbon and dust are responsible for approximately 64% and 9%, respectively, of the albedo reduction, and are associated with instantaneous radiative forcing of 323.18 W/m2 (ranging from 142.16 to 619.25 W/m2) and 24.05 W/m2 (ranging from 0.15 to 69.77 W/m2), respectively. For different scenarios, the albedo and radiative forcing effect of black carbon is considerably greater than that of dust. The estimated radiative forcing at Keqikaer Glacier is higher than most similar values estimated by previous studies on the Tibetan Plateau, perhaps as a result of black carbon enrichment by melt scavenging. Light-absorbing impurities deposited on Keqikaer Glacier appear to mainly originate from central Asia, Siberia, western China (including the Taklimakan Desert) and parts of South Asia in summer, and from the Middle East and Central Asia in winter. A footprint analysis indicates that a large fraction (>60%) of the black carbon contributions on Keqikaer Glacier comes from anthropogenic sources. These results provide a scientific basis for regional mitigation efforts to reduce black carbon.

Key words: light-absorbing impurities, black carbon, mineral dust, glacier, snow albedo, Tien Shan

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