Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics www.atmos-chem-phys.net 1680-7316 1680-7324 11 6 2011 10.5194/acp-11-2837-2011 http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/11/2837/2011/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/11/2837/2011/acp-11-2837-2011.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/11/2837/2011/acp-11-2837-2011.pdf 2837 2852 2011-03-25 Origin and radiative forcing of black carbon transported to the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau M. Kopacz D. L. Mauzerall mauzeral@princeton.edu J. Wang E. M. Leibensperger D. K. Henze K. Singh Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA School of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA Computer Science Department, Virginia Polytechnic University, Blacksburg, VA, USA The remote and high elevation regions of central Asia are influenced by black carbon (BC) emissions from a variety of locations. BC deposition contributes to melting of glaciers and questions exist, of both scientific and policy interest, as to the origin of the BC reaching the glaciers. We use the adjoint of the GEOS-Chem model to identify the location from which BC arriving at a variety of locations in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau originates. We then calculate its direct and snow-albedo radiative forcing. We analyze the seasonal variation in the origin of BC using an adjoint sensitivity analysis, which provides a detailed map of the location of emissions that directly contribute to black carbon concentrations at receptor locations. We find that emissions from northern India and central China contribute the majority of BC to the Himalayas, although the precise location varies with season. The Tibetan Plateau receives most BC from western and central China, as well as from India, Nepal, the Middle East, Pakistan and other countries. The magnitude of contribution from each region varies with season and receptor location. We find that sources as varied as African biomass burning and Middle Eastern fossil fuel combustion can significantly contribute to the BC reaching the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau. 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