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Titel |
Retention and radiative forcing of black carbon in eastern Sierra Nevada snow |
VerfasserIn |
K. M. Sterle, J. R. McConnell, J. Dozier, R. Edwards, M. G. Flanner |
Medientyp |
Artikel
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Sprache |
Englisch
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ISSN |
1994-0416
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Digitales Dokument |
URL |
Erschienen |
In: The Cryosphere ; 7, no. 1 ; Nr. 7, no. 1 (2013-02-28), S.365-374 |
Datensatznummer |
250017936
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Publikation (Nr.) |
copernicus.org/tc-7-365-2013.pdf |
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Zusammenfassung |
When contaminated by absorbing particles, such as refractory black carbon
(rBC) and continental dust, snow's albedo decreases and thus its absorption
of solar radiation increases, thereby hastening snowmelt. For this reason, an
understanding of rBC's affect on snow albedo, melt processes, and radiation
balance is critical for water management, especially in a changing climate.
Measurements of rBC in a sequence of snow pits and surface snow samples in
the eastern Sierra Nevada of California during the snow accumulation and
ablation seasons of 2009 show that concentrations of rBC were enhanced
sevenfold in surface snow (~25 ng g–1) compared to bulk values
in the snowpack (~3 ng g–1). Unlike major ions, which were
preferentially released during the initial melt, rBC and continental dust
were retained in the snow, enhancing concentrations well into late spring,
until a final flush occurred during the ablation period. We estimate a
combined rBC and continental dust surface radiative forcing of 20 to
40 W m−2 during April and May, with dust likely contributing a greater
share of the forcing. |
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