Black Carbon Cause for Concern in the Himalayas
16.12.2009 - Land & Geology
New research conducted jointly by scientists from NASA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows black carbon (black, sooty particles which result from the combustion of fossil fuels) deposits in the Himalayan glaciers might have contributed to the significant retreat of the non-polar ice masses in this part of the world.
Temperatures on what is also known as the Earth's ‘Third Pole' have been warming by as much as 0.3°C per decade over the past 30 years. Scientists believe that black carbon - which is emitted mostly from diesel engines, coal-fired power plants and cooking stoves - could even rival the influence of greenhouse gasses. Being black, these sooty particles absorb sunlight and warm the air around them - and when black carbon particles get trapped in the air surrounding the Himalayas, it creates a warm layer of air that rises into the mountains and accelerates glacial melting.
The glaciers, which provide meltwater to many of Asia's major rivers, are retreating quickly and might even disappear by mid-century. Although still sufficient to replenish rivers in the area, the water supplies might fall short in supplying freshwater to areas often subject to water shortages.
Researchers under the direction of Baiqing Xu of the Chinese Academy drilled five ice cores from a number of places across the Tibetan Plateau and analyzed them for black carbon and organic carbon concentrations. They found that black soot concentrations correlate with black carbon emissions in Europe and South Asia.
NASA atmospheric scientist William Lau and his colleagues also put together an animation of the concentration of black carbon in Earth's atmosphere from August to November.
In order to refine understanding of this phenomenon, scientists are now looking to conduct additional research to examine albedo levels and melting rates.
