Measurement report: Contrasting elevation-dependent light absorption by black and brown carbon: lessons from in situ measurements from the highly polluted Sichuan Basin to the pristine Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Scientific knowledge about light absorption by aerosols is extremely limited at the eastern slope of the Tibetan Plateau (ESTP). We conducted the first aerosol field experiment at six sites (Chengdu, Sanbacun, Wenchuan, Lixian, Maerkang, Hongyuan) along the ESTP, ranging in elevation from 500 to 3500 m. The fraction of light absorption by brown carbon (BrC) to total carbon increases from 20 % to 50 % with altitude, and the mass absorption efficiency (MAE) of BrC over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is 2–3 times higher than that inside the Sichuan Basin (SCB), especially in winter. In contrast, the MAE of elemental carbon (EC) in winter decreases with altitude. The contrasting variation of EC and BrC MAE with altitude is mainly attributed to source differences between the TP and SCB. Emissions from the more urban sources (motor vehicles, industries, etc.) inside the SCB fail to be transported to the TP due to the stable air in winter inside the basin, which is also favourable for aerosol ageing to enhance absorption efficiency. The radiative forcing of BrC relative to EC varies from 0.10 to 0.42 as altitude increases with the higher organic carbon (OC) to EC ratio over the TP than SCB. Thus, the reason for the enhanced relative BrC to EC radiative forcing from polluted SCB to pristine TP is that the BrC concentration decreases more slowly than the EC concentration with altitude. This study contributes to the understanding of the difference in light absorption by EC and BrC with altitude, from polluted lower-altitude basins to the pristine TP, and provides a data set for regional climate model validation.