Observed high-altitude warming and snow cover retreat over Tibet and the Himalayas enhanced by black carbon aerosols

Xu, Y.; Ramanathan, V.; Washington, W. M.

doi:10.5194/acp-16-1303-2016

Observed high-altitude warming and snow cover retreat over Tibet and the Himalayas enhanced by black carbon aerosols

Journal Article · Fri Feb 05 00:00:00 EST 2016 · Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1303-2016· OSTI ID:1236999

; Ramanathan, V.; Washington, W. M.

Abstract. Himalayan mountain glaciers and the snowpack over the Tibetan Plateau provide the headwater of several major rivers in Asia. In situ observations of snow cover extent since the 1960s suggest that the snowpack in the region have retreated significantly, accompanied by a surface warming of 2–2.5 °C observed over the peak altitudes (5000 m). Using a high-resolution ocean–atmosphere global climate model and an observationally constrained black carbon (BC) aerosol forcing, we attribute the observed altitude dependence of the warming trends as well as the spatial pattern of reductions in snow depths and snow cover extent to various anthropogenic factors. At the Tibetan Plateau altitudes, the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration exerted a warming of 1.7 °C, BC 1.3 °C where as cooling aerosols cause about 0.7 °C cooling, bringing the net simulated warming consistent with the anomalously large observed warming. We therefore conclude that BC together with CO2 has contributed to the snow retreat trends. In particular, BC increase is the major factor in the strong elevation dependence of the observed surface warming. The atmospheric warming by BC as well as its surface darkening of snow is coupled with the positive snow albedo feedbacks to account for the disproportionately large role of BC in high-elevation regions. These findings reveal that BC impact needs to be properly accounted for in future regional climate projections, in particular on high-altitude cryosphere.

View Journal Article

Research Organization:: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)

Grant/Contract Number:: FC02-97ER62402

OSTI ID:: 1236999

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1253624

Journal Information:: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online), Journal Name: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online) Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 16; ISSN 1680-7324

Publisher:: Copernicus Publications, EGUCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: Germany

Language:: English

References (62)

Mineral dust impact on snow radiative properties in the European Alps combining ground, UAV, and satellite observations: MINERAL DUST ON SNOW IN THE ALPS Di Mauro, B.; Fava, F.; Ferrero, L. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 120, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023287	journal	June 2015
Bounding the role of black carbon in the climate system: A scientific assessment: BLACK CARBON IN THE CLIMATE SYSTEM Bond, T. C.; Doherty, S. J.; Fahey, D. W. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 118, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50171	journal	June 2013
Observational constraints on Arctic Ocean clouds and radiative fluxes during the early 21st century: ARCTIC OCEAN CLOUD AND RADIATION CLIMATOLOGY Kay, Jennifer E.; L'Ecuyer, Tristan Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 118, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50489	journal	July 2013
Estimating the radiative forcing of carbonaceous aerosols over California based on satellite and ground observations: CALIFORNIA CARBONACEOUS AEROSOL FORCING Xu, Yangyang; Bahadur, Ranjit; Zhao, Chun Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 118, Issue 19 https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50835	journal	October 2013
Rapid warming in the Tibetan Plateau from observations and CMIP5 models in recent decades: OBSERVATION AND SIMULATIONS OF WARMING You, Qinglong; Min, Jinzhong; Kang, Shichang International Journal of Climatology, Vol. 36, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4520	journal	October 2015
Improving the treatment of the vertical snow burial fraction over short vegetation in the NCAR CLM3 Wang, Aihui; Zeng, Xubin Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 26, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-009-8098-3	journal	September 2009
Light-absorbing particles in snow and ice: Measurement and modeling of climatic and hydrological impact Qian, Yun; Yasunari, Teppei J.; Doherty, Sarah J. Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 32, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-014-0010-0	journal	November 2014
Asian summer monsoon anomalies induced by aerosol direct forcing: the role of the Tibetan Plateau Lau, K. M.; Kim, M. K.; Kim, K. M. Climate Dynamics, Vol. 26, Issue 7-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-006-0114-z	journal	February 2006
The contribution of snow condition trends to future ground climate Lawrence, David M.; Slater, Andrew G. Climate Dynamics, Vol. 34, Issue 7-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-009-0537-4	journal	February 2009
MODIS/Terra observed snow cover over the Tibet Plateau: distribution, variation and possible connection with the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) Pu, Zhaoxia; Xu, Li Theoretical and Applied Climatology, Vol. 97, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-008-0074-9	journal	November 2008
Estimated range of black carbon dry deposition and the related snow albedo reduction over Himalayan glaciers during dry pre-monsoon periods Yasunari, Teppei J.; Tan, Qian; Lau, K. -M. Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 78 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2012.03.031	journal	October 2013
Cryospheric change in China Li, Xin; Cheng, Guodong; Jin, Huijun Global and Planetary Change, Vol. 62, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2008.02.001	journal	June 2008
Elevation dependency of recent and future minimum surface air temperature trends in the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings Liu, Xiaodong; Cheng, Zhigang; Yan, Libin Global and Planetary Change, Vol. 68, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2009.03.017	journal	August 2009
20th-Century Changes of Temperature in the Mountain Regions of Central Europe Weber, Rudolf O.; Talkner, Peter; Auer, Ingeborg Climatic Change, Vol. 36, Issue 3/4, p. 327-344 https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005378702066	journal	July 1997
Temporal trends and variability of daily maximum and minimum, extreme temperature events, and growing season length over the eastern and central Tibetan Plateau during 1961–2003 Liu, Xiaodong; Yin, Zhi-Yong; Shao, Xuemei Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 111, Issue D19 https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JD006915	journal	January 2006
Observational relationships between aerosol and Asian monsoon rainfall, and circulation Lau, K. -M.; Kim, K. -M. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 33, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027546	journal	January 2006
Present-day climate forcing and response from black carbon in snow Flanner, Mark G.; Zender, Charles S.; Randerson, James T. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 112, Issue D11 https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD008003	journal	January 2007
Responses of permafrost to climate change and their environmental significance, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Cheng, Guodong; Wu, Tonghua Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 112, Issue F2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000631	journal	January 2007
MODIS/Terra observed seasonal variations of snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau Pu, Zhaoxia; Xu, Li; Salomonson, Vincent V. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 34, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL029262	journal	January 2007
Impact of disturbed desert soils on duration of mountain snow cover Painter, Thomas H.; Barrett, Andrew P.; Landry, Christopher C. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 34, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL030284	journal	January 2007
A global monthly land surface air temperature analysis for 1948–present Fan, Yun; van den Dool, Huug Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 113, Issue D1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD008470	journal	January 2008
An observation-based formulation of snow cover fraction and its evaluation over large North American river basins Niu, Guo-Yue; Yang, Zong-Liang Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 112, Issue D21 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD008674	journal	January 2007
Tibetan Plateau warming and precipitation changes in East Asia Wang, Bin; Bao, Qing; Hoskins, Brian Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 35, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL034330	journal	January 2008
Investigating cloud absorption effects: Global absorption properties of black carbon, tar balls, and soil dust in clouds and aerosols: CLOUD ABSORPTION EFFECTS Jacobson, Mark Z. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 117, Issue D6 https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD017218	journal	March 2012
Parameterization improvements and functional and structural advances in Version 4 of the Community Land Model Lawrence, David M.; Oleson, Keith W.; Flanner, Mark G. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 3, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1029/2011MS000045	journal	January 2011
Black carbon and other light-absorbing impurities in snow across Northern China: LIGHT-ABSORBING IMPURITIES IN SNOW Wang, Xin; Doherty, Sarah J.; Huang, Jianping Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 118, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD018291	journal	February 2013
Albedo of soot-contaminated snow Chýlek, Petr; Ramaswamy, V.; Srivastava, Vandana Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 88, Issue C15 https://doi.org/10.1029/JC088iC15p10837	journal	January 1983
Warming trends in Asia amplified by brown cloud solar absorption Ramanathan, Veerabhadran; Ramana, Muvva V.; Roberts, Gregory Nature, Vol. 448, Issue 7153 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06019	journal	August 2007
Black-carbon reduction of snow albedo Hadley, Odelle L.; Kirchstetter, Thomas W. Nature Climate Change, Vol. 2, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1433	journal	March 2012
Communication of the role of natural variability in future North American climate Deser, Clara; Knutti, Reto; Solomon, Susan Nature Climate Change, Vol. 2, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1562	journal	October 2012
Elevation-dependent warming in mountain regions of the world Working Group, Mountain Research Initiative EDW Nature Climate Change, Vol. 5, Issue 5, p. 424-430 https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2563	journal	April 2015
Radiative forcing and albedo feedback from the Northern Hemisphere cryosphere between 1979 and 2008 Flanner, M. G.; Shell, K. M.; Barlage, M. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 4, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1062	journal	January 2011
Global and regional climate changes due to black carbon Ramanathan, V.; Carmichael, G. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 1, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo156	journal	March 2008
Atmospheric brown clouds: Impacts on South Asian climate and hydrological cycle Ramanathan, V.; Chung, C.; Kim, D. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 102, Issue 15 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0500656102	journal	March 2005
Black soot and the survival of Tibetan glaciers Xu, Baiqing; Cao, Junji; Hansen, James Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106, Issue 52 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910444106	journal	December 2009
Solar absorption by elemental and brown carbon determined from spectral observations Bahadur, R.; Praveen, P. S.; Xu, Y. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 109, Issue 43 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205910109	journal	October 2012
End of the Little Ice Age in the Alps forced by industrial black carbon Painter, T. H.; Flanner, M. G.; Kaser, G. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 110, Issue 38 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1302570110	journal	September 2013
Observational determination of albedo decrease caused by vanishing Arctic sea ice Pistone, Kristina; Eisenman, Ian; Ramanathan, V. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 111, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1318201111	journal	February 2014
Enhanced surface warming and accelerated snow melt in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau induced by absorbing aerosols Lau, William K. M.; Kim, Maeng-Ki; Kim, Kyu-Myong Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 5, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/5/2/025204	journal	April 2010
Darkening of the mid-Himalaya glaciers since 2000 and the potential causes Ming, Jing; Du, Zhencai; Xiao, Cunde Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/7/1/014021	journal	January 2012
A Reconciled Estimate of Glacier Contributions to Sea Level Rise: 2003 to 2009 Gardner, A. S.; Moholdt, G.; Cogley, J. G. Science, Vol. 340, Issue 6134 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1234532	journal	May 2013
Maximum and Minimum Temperature Trends for the Globe Easterling, D. R. Science, Vol. 277, Issue 5324 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.277.5324.364	journal	July 1997
The Effects of Doubling the CO ₂ Concentration on the climate of a General Circulation Model Manabe, Syukuro; Wetherald, Richard T. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 32, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1975)032<0003:TEODTC>2.0.CO;2	journal	January 1975
A Model for the Spectral Albedo of Snow. I: Pure Snow Wiscombe, Warren J.; Warren, Stephen G. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 37, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1980)037<2712:AMFTSA>2.0.CO;2	journal	December 1980
Effects of Black Carbon Aerosols on the Indian Monsoon Meehl, Gerald A.; Arblaster, Julie M.; Collins, William D. Journal of Climate, Vol. 21, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JCLI1777.1	journal	June 2008
A New Two-Moment Bulk Stratiform Cloud Microphysics Scheme in the Community Atmosphere Model, Version 3 (CAM3). Part I: Description and Numerical Tests Morrison, Hugh; Gettelman, Andrew Journal of Climate, Vol. 21, Issue 15 https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JCLI2105.1	journal	August 2008
Nonlinear Climate and Hydrological Responses to Aerosol Effects Ming, Yi; Ramaswamy, V. Journal of Climate, Vol. 22, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JCLI2362.1	journal	March 2009
The Community Earth System Model (CESM) Large Ensemble Project: A Community Resource for Studying Climate Change in the Presence of Internal Climate Variability Kay, J. E.; Deser, C.; Phillips, A. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 96, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00255.1	journal	August 2015
Climate Change Projections in CESM1(CAM5) Compared to CCSM4 Meehl, Gerald A.; Washington, Warren M.; Arblaster, Julie M. Journal of Climate, Vol. 26, Issue 17 https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00572.1	journal	September 2013
Temporal-spatial characteristics of observed key parameters of snow cover in China during 1957-2009 Li-Juan, Ma; Da-He, Qin Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions, Vol. 4, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1226.2012.00384	journal	January 2012
Black carbon aerosols and the third polar ice cap Menon, S.; Koch, D.; Beig, G. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 10, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-4559-2010	journal	January 2010
Historical (1850–2000) gridded anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions of reactive gases and aerosols: methodology and application Lamarque, J. -F.; Bond, T. C.; Eyring, V. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 10, Issue 15 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-7017-2010	journal	January 2010
Sensitivity studies on the impacts of Tibetan Plateau snowpack pollution on the Asian hydrological cycle and monsoon climate Qian, Y.; Flanner, M. G.; Leung, L. R. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 11, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-1929-2011	journal	January 2011
Simulating black carbon and dust and their radiative forcing in seasonal snow: a case study over North China with field campaign measurements Zhao, C.; Hu, Z.; Qian, Y. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 14, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-11475-2014	journal	January 2014
Snow cover sensitivity to black carbon deposition in the Himalayas: from atmospheric and ice core measurements to regional climate simulations Ménégoz, M.; Krinner, G.; Balkanski, Y. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 14, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-4237-2014	journal	January 2014
Ocean mediation of tropospheric response to reflecting and absorbing aerosols Xu, Y.; Xie, S. -P. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 15, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5827-2015	journal	January 2015
Quantifying sources, transport, deposition, and radiative forcing of black carbon over the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau Zhang, R.; Wang, H.; Qian, Y. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 15, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6205-2015	journal	January 2015
Springtime warming and reduced snow cover from carbonaceous particles Flanner, M. G.; Zender, C. S.; Hess, P. G. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 9, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-2481-2009	journal	January 2009
Toward a minimal representation of aerosols in climate models: description and evaluation in the Community Atmosphere Model CAM5 Liu, X.; Easter, R. C.; Ghan, S. J. Geoscientific Model Development, Vol. 5, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-5-709-2012	journal	January 2012
Precipitation and snow cover in the Himalaya: from reanalysis to regional climate simulations Ménégoz, M.; Gallée, H.; Jacobi, H. W. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 17, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3921-2013	journal	January 2013
The impact of Saharan dust and black carbon on albedo and long-term mass balance of an Alpine glacier Gabbi, J.; Huss, M.; Bauder, A. The Cryosphere, Vol. 9, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1385-2015	journal	January 2015
Black carbon in snow in the upper Himalayan Khumbu Valley, Nepal: observations and modeling of the impact on snow albedo, melting, and radiative forcing Jacobi, H. -W.; Lim, S.; Ménégoz, M. The Cryosphere, Vol. 9, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1685-2015	journal	January 2015

Similar Records

Sensitivity studies on the impacts of Tibetan Plateau snowpack pollution on the Asian hydrological cycle and monsoon climate

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 23:00:00 EST 2011 · Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics · OSTI ID:1008224

Impact of Snow Darkening by Deposition of Light-Absorbing Aerosols on Snow Cover in the Himalayas–Tibetan Plateau and Influence on the Asian Summer Monsoon: A Possible Mechanism for the Blanford Hypothesis

Journal Article · Sun Nov 11 19:00:00 EST 2018 · Atmosphere (Basel) · OSTI ID:1816902

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Observed high-altitude warming and snow cover retreat over Tibet and the Himalayas enhanced by black carbon aerosols

Citation Formats

References (62)

Similar Records

Related Subjects