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.