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- Title
The decreasing albedo of Zhadang glacier on western Nyainqentanglha and the role of light-absorbing impurities.
- Authors
Qu, B.; Ming, J.; Kang, S.-C.; Zhang, G.-S.; Li, Y.-W.; Li, C.-D.; Zhao, S.-Y.; Ji, Z.-M.; Cao, J.-J.
- Abstract
The large change in albedo has a great effect on glacier ablation. Atmospheric aerosols (e.g. black carbon (BC) and dust) can reduce the albedo of glaciers and thus contribute to their melting. In this study, we investigated the measured albedo as well as the relationship between albedo and mass balance in Zhadang glacier on Mt. Nyanqentanglha associated with MODIS (10A1) data. The impacts of BC and dust in albedo reduction in different melting conditions were identified with SNow ICe Aerosol Radiative (SNICAR) model and in-situ data. It was founded that the mass balance of the glacier has a significant correlation with its surface albedo derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard Terra satellite. The average albedo of Zhadang glacier from MODIS increased with the altitude and fluctuated but overall had a decreasing trend during 2001-2010, with the highest (0.722) in 2003 and the lowest (0.597) in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The sensitivity analysis via SNICAR showed that BC was a major factor in albedo reduction when the glacier was covered by newly fallen snow. Nevertheless, the contribution of dust to albedo reduction can be as high as 58% when the glacier experienced strong surficial melting that the surface was almost bare ice. And the average radiative forcing (RF) caused by dust could increase from 1.1 to 8.6W m-2 exceeding the forcings caused by BC after snow was deposited and surface melting occurred in Zhadang glacier. This suggest that it may be dust rather than BC, dominating the melting of some glaciers in the TP during melting seasons.
- Subjects
GLACIERS; ALBEDO; LIGHT absorption; ATMOSPHERIC aerosols; ABLATION (Glaciology); MASS budget (Geophysics)
- Publication
Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics Discussions, 2014, Vol 14, Issue 9, p13109
- ISSN
1680-7367
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.5194/acpd-14-13109-2014