Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
ACP
Articles | Volume 16, issue 3
Articles | Volume 16, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1303-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1303-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Articles | Volume 16, issue 3
Research article
 | 
05 Feb 2016
Research article |  | 05 Feb 2016

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

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

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Short summary
We show that black carbon aerosol pollution is likely the dominant factor in causing the accelerated retreat of snowpack in Himalayas. The simulated snow fraction and surface albedo change at the surface, as well as the enhanced warming at higher elevations, are remarkably similar to observations in past decades. The reason for the model's ability to simulate the observed trends is that we replace the model-simulated black carbon forcing with one that is constrained by observations.
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