2009•Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesOpen access
Black soot and the survival of Tibetan glaciers
Baiqing Xu, Junji Cao, James E. Hansen, Tandong Yao, Daniel R. Joswia, Ninglian Wang, Guangjian Wu, Mo Wang, Huabiao Zhao, Wei Yang, Xianqin Liu, Jianqiao He
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Abstract
We find evidence that black soot aerosols deposited on Tibetan glaciers have been a significant contributing factor to observed rapid glacier retreat. Reduced black soot emissions, in addition to reduced greenhouse gases, may be required to avoid demise of Himalayan glaciers and retain the benefits of glaciers for seasonal fresh water supplies.