Black carbon concentrations in snow at Tronsen Meadow in Central Washington from 2012 to 2013: Temporal and spatial variations and the role of local forest fire activity

Delaney, Ian; Kaspari, Susan; Matthew, Jenkins

doi:10.1002/2015jd023762

Cited by 15 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Observations of BC in melting snow support the accumulation of BC near the surface (Xu et al, 2012;Doherty et al, 2013;Sterle et al, 2013;Delaney et al, 2015). In a sequence of snow pits, Sterle et al (2013) showed that during the ablation season, BC mixing ratios increase significantly near the snow surface (sampled in the top 2 cm) relative to bulk BC concentrations.…”

Section: Parameter Sensitivitymentioning

confidence: 95%

“…They suggest that most likely a large fraction of previously deposited BC becomes concentrated near the surface. Delaney et al (2015) also report surface BC increase during melt, to which BC being trapped at the snow surface is likely to contribute. BC increases in surface snow of up to an order of magnitude (Sterle et al, 2013;Doherty et al, 2016) and more (Xu et al, 2012) have been observed in natural snow during melt.…”

Section: Parameter Sensitivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modelling hydrologic impacts of light absorbing aerosol deposition on snow at the catchment scale

Matt

Burkhart

Pietikäinen

2018

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Light absorbing impurities in snow and ice (LAISI) originating from atmospheric deposition enhance snowmelt by increasing the absorption of shortwave radiation. The consequences are a shortening of the snow duration due to increased snowmelt and, at the catchment scale, a temporal shift in the discharge generation during the spring melt season.In this study, we present a newly developed snow algorithm for application in hydrological models that allows for an additional class of input variable: the deposition mass flux of various species of light absorbing aerosols. To show the sensitivity of different model parameters, we first use the model as a 1-D point model forced with representative synthetic data and investigate the impact of parameters and variables specific to the algorithm determining the effect of LAISI. We then demonstrate the significance of the radiative forcing by simulating the effect of black carbon (BC) deposited on snow of a remote southern Norwegian catchment over a 6-year period, from September 2006 to August 2012. Our simulations suggest a significant impact of BC in snow on the hydrological cycle. Results show an average increase in discharge of 2.5, 9.9, and 21.4 %, depending on the applied model scenario, over a 2-month period during the spring melt season compared to simulations where radiative forcing from LAISI is not considered. The increase in discharge is followed by a decrease in discharge due to a faster decrease in the catchment's snow-covered fraction and a trend towards earlier melt in the scenarios where radiative forcing from LAISI is applied. Using a reasonable estimate of critical model parameters, the model simulates realistic BC mixing ratios in surface snow with a strong annual cycle, showing increasing surface BC mixing ratios during spring melt as a consequence of melt amplification. However, we further identify large uncertainties in the representation of the surface BC mixing ratio during snowmelt and the subsequent consequences for the snowpack evolution.

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Section: Parameter Sensitivitymentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Parameter Sensitivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling hydrologic impacts of light absorbing aerosol deposition on snow at the catchment scale

Matt

Burkhart

Pietikäinen

2018

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…1) on Holtedahlfonna. Forsström et al, 2013;Delaney et al, 2015). Consequently, the similarity in EC concentrations measured at stake 10 (2015 coring site) from the surface snow, snow pack and firn core samples gives confidence on the reproducibility of the used EC analysis method.…”

Section: Post-depositional Processes Affecting Ec Deposition At the Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do contemporary (1980–2015) emissions determine the elemental carbon deposition trend at Holtedahlfonna glacier, Svalbard?

et al. 2017

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Abstract. The climate impact of black carbon (BC) is notably amplified in the Arctic by its deposition, which causes albedo decrease and subsequent earlier snow and ice spring melt. To comprehensively assess the climate impact of BC in the Arctic, information on both atmospheric BC concentrations and deposition is essential. Currently, Arctic BC deposition data are very scarce, while atmospheric BC concentrations have been shown to generally decrease since the 1990s. However, a 300-year Svalbard ice core showed a distinct increase in EC (elemental carbon, proxy for BC) deposition from 1970 to 2004 contradicting atmospheric measurements and modelling studies. Here, our objective was to decipher whether this increase has continued in the 21st century and to investigate the drivers of the observed EC deposition trends. For this, a shallow firn core was collected from the same Svalbard glacier, and a regional-to-meso-scale chemical transport model (SILAM) was run from 1980 to 2015. The ice and firn core data indicate peaking EC deposition values at the end of the 1990s and lower values thereafter. The modelled BC deposition results generally support the observed glacier EC variations. However, the ice and firn core results clearly deviate from both measured and modelled atmospheric BC concentration trends, and the modelled BC deposition trend shows variations seemingly independent from BC emission or atmospheric BC concentration trends. Furthermore, according to the model ca. 99 % BC mass is wet-deposited at this Svalbard glacier, indicating that meteorological processes such as precipitation and scavenging efficiency have most likely a stronger influence on the BC deposition trend than BC emission or atmospheric concentration trends. BC emission source sectors contribute differently to the modelled atmospheric BC concentrations and BC deposition, which further supports our conclusion that different processes affect atmospheric BC concentration and deposition trends. Consequently, Arctic BC deposition trends should not directly be inferred based on atmospheric BC measurements, and more observational BC deposition data are required to assess the climate impact of BC in Arctic snow.

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“…Their extensive measurements of snow albedo and snow properties detailed in these three papers culminate with the development of a physically based snow albedo model, which is comparable to the SNICAR model developed by Flanner et al [2007]. In the western U.S., a number of studies have been conducted on the influence of impurities on snow albedo [Doherty et al, 2014[Doherty et al, , 2016Kaspari et al, 2014Kaspari et al, , 2015Delaney et al, 2015;Painter et al, 2007bPainter et al, , 2012Skiles et al, 2012Skiles et al, , 2015. collected a similar data set to ours, with daily field measurements of albedo and snow properties in the Rocky Mountains in the western U.S..…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a general understanding of the physics that control the albedo of snow, but different factors dominate changes in albedo at various locations. The presence of impurities, particularly dust and black carbon, in snow is one factor that has received much attention in recent scientific research [e.g., Ramanathan and Carmichael, 2008;Flanner et al, 2007;Hansen and Nazarenko, 2004;Sterle et al, 2013;Doherty et al, 2014Doherty et al, , 2016Kaspari et al, 2014Kaspari et al, , 2015Delaney et al, 2015;Painter et al, 2007bPainter et al, , 2012Skiles et al, 2015;Polashenski et al, 2015;Dang et al, 2015;Oaida et al, 2015;Yasunari et al, 2015;Qian et al, 2015]. Using our extensive measurements in New Hampshire, we assess the reduction of snow albedo due to impurities in comparison to other factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dominance of grain size impacts on seasonal snow albedo at open sites in New Hampshire

et al. 2017

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Snow cover serves as a major control on the surface energy budget in temperate regions due to its high reflectivity compared to underlying surfaces. Winter in the northeastern United States has changed over the last several decades, resulting in shallower snowpacks, fewer days of snow cover, and increasing precipitation falling as rain in the winter. As these climatic changes occur, it is imperative that we understand current controls on the evolution of seasonal snow albedo in the region. Over three winter seasons between 2013 and 2015, snow characterization measurements were made at three open sites across New Hampshire. These near‐daily measurements include spectral albedo, snow optical grain size determined through contact spectroscopy, snow depth, snow density, black carbon content, local meteorological parameters, and analysis of storm trajectories using the Hybrid Single‐Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model. Using analysis of variance, we determine that land‐based winter storms result in marginally higher albedo than coastal storms or storms from the Atlantic Ocean. Through multiple regression analysis, we determine that snow grain size is significantly more important in albedo reduction than black carbon content or snow density. And finally, we present a parameterization of albedo based on days since snowfall and temperature that accounts for 52% of variance in albedo over all three sites and years. Our improved understanding of current controls on snow albedo in the region will allow for better assessment of potential response of seasonal snow albedo and snow cover to changing climate.

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Black carbon concentrations in snow at Tronsen Meadow in Central Washington from 2012 to 2013: Temporal and spatial variations and the role of local forest fire activity

Cited by 15 publications

References 48 publications

Modelling hydrologic impacts of light absorbing aerosol deposition on snow at the catchment scale

Modelling hydrologic impacts of light absorbing aerosol deposition on snow at the catchment scale

Do contemporary (1980–2015) emissions determine the elemental carbon deposition trend at Holtedahlfonna glacier, Svalbard?

Dominance of grain size impacts on seasonal snow albedo at open sites in New Hampshire

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