Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 044042 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Environmental research letters |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 25 Mar 2022 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2022 |
Abstract
The Andean snowpack is an important source of water for many communities. As other snow-covered regions around the world, the Andes are sensitive to black carbon (BC) deposition from fossil fuel and biomass combustion. BC darkens the snow surface, reduces the albedo, and accelerates melting. Here, we report on measurements of the BC content conducted by using the meltwater filtration (MF) technique in snow samples collected across a transect of more than 2500 km from the mid-latitude Andes to the southern tip of South America. Addressing some of the key knowledge gaps regarding the effects of the BC deposition on the Andean snow, we identified BC-impacted areas, assessed the BC-related albedo reduction, and estimated the resulting snow losses. We found that BC concentrations in our samples generally ranged from 2 to 15 ng g-1, except for the nearly BC-free Patagonian Icefields and for the BC-impacted sites nearby Santiago (a metropolis of 6 million inhabitants). We estimate that the seasonal snowpack shrinking attributable to the BC deposition ranges from 4 mm water equivalent (w.e.) at relatively clean sites in Patagonia to 241 mm w.e. at heavily impacted sites close to Santiago.
Keywords
- Andes, black carbon, snow
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Energy(all)
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Environmental Science(all)
- Medicine(all)
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Sustainable Development Goals
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: Environmental research letters, Vol. 17, No. 4, 044042, 03.2022.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Black carbon in the Southern Andean snowpack
AU - Cordero, Raúl R.
AU - Sepúlveda, Edgardo
AU - Feron, Sarah
AU - Wang, Chenghao
AU - Damiani, Alessandro
AU - Fernandoy, Francisco
AU - Neshyba, Steven
AU - Rowe, Penny M.
AU - Asencio, Valentina
AU - Carrasco, Jorge
AU - Alfonso, Juan A.
AU - MacDonell, Shelley
AU - Seckmeyer, Gunther
AU - Carrera, Juan M.
AU - Jorquera, Jose
AU - Llanillo, Pedro
AU - Dana, Jacob
AU - Khan, Alia L.
AU - Casassa, Gino
N1 - Funding Information: The support of ANID (ANILLO ACT210046, FONDECYT 1191932, DFG190004 and REDES180158), and CORFO (Preis 19BP-117358, 18BPE-93920 and 18BPCR-89100) is gratefully acknowledged. A L K’s contribution was supported by a Fulbright Scholarship to the Chilean Antarctic Program.
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - The Andean snowpack is an important source of water for many communities. As other snow-covered regions around the world, the Andes are sensitive to black carbon (BC) deposition from fossil fuel and biomass combustion. BC darkens the snow surface, reduces the albedo, and accelerates melting. Here, we report on measurements of the BC content conducted by using the meltwater filtration (MF) technique in snow samples collected across a transect of more than 2500 km from the mid-latitude Andes to the southern tip of South America. Addressing some of the key knowledge gaps regarding the effects of the BC deposition on the Andean snow, we identified BC-impacted areas, assessed the BC-related albedo reduction, and estimated the resulting snow losses. We found that BC concentrations in our samples generally ranged from 2 to 15 ng g-1, except for the nearly BC-free Patagonian Icefields and for the BC-impacted sites nearby Santiago (a metropolis of 6 million inhabitants). We estimate that the seasonal snowpack shrinking attributable to the BC deposition ranges from 4 mm water equivalent (w.e.) at relatively clean sites in Patagonia to 241 mm w.e. at heavily impacted sites close to Santiago.
AB - The Andean snowpack is an important source of water for many communities. As other snow-covered regions around the world, the Andes are sensitive to black carbon (BC) deposition from fossil fuel and biomass combustion. BC darkens the snow surface, reduces the albedo, and accelerates melting. Here, we report on measurements of the BC content conducted by using the meltwater filtration (MF) technique in snow samples collected across a transect of more than 2500 km from the mid-latitude Andes to the southern tip of South America. Addressing some of the key knowledge gaps regarding the effects of the BC deposition on the Andean snow, we identified BC-impacted areas, assessed the BC-related albedo reduction, and estimated the resulting snow losses. We found that BC concentrations in our samples generally ranged from 2 to 15 ng g-1, except for the nearly BC-free Patagonian Icefields and for the BC-impacted sites nearby Santiago (a metropolis of 6 million inhabitants). We estimate that the seasonal snowpack shrinking attributable to the BC deposition ranges from 4 mm water equivalent (w.e.) at relatively clean sites in Patagonia to 241 mm w.e. at heavily impacted sites close to Santiago.
KW - Andes
KW - black carbon
KW - snow
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85128185654&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1088/1748-9326/ac5df0
DO - 10.1088/1748-9326/ac5df0
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85128185654
VL - 17
JO - Environmental research letters
JF - Environmental research letters
SN - 1748-9318
IS - 4
M1 - 044042
ER -