Source of soot that is warming Tibetan Plateau ID'd
(July 30, 2015) Using
a climate model that can tag sources of soot from different global regions and
can track where it lands on the Tibetan Plateau, researchers have determined
which areas around the plateau contribute the most soot — and where. The model
can also suggest the most effective way to reduce soot on the plateau, easing
the amount of warming the region undergoes.
The work, which appeared in Atmospheric Chemistry and
Physics in June, shows that soot pollution on and above the Himalayan-Tibetan
Plateau area warms the region enough to contribute to earlier snowmelt and
shrinking glaciers. A major source of water, such changes could affect the
people living there. The study might help policy makers target pollution
reduction efforts by pinpointing the sources that make the biggest difference
when cut.
"If we really want to address the issue of soot on the
Tibetan Plateau," said Yun Qian, a study co-author at the Department of
Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, "we need to know where we
should start."
Overall, the work shows that, of worldwide sources, India's
wildfires, cooking fuel and fossil fuel burning contribute the most soot to the
mountain range and plateau region, followed by fossil fuel burning in China and
other East Asian countries.