Login With Google
Dust responsible for snowmelt at higher elevation in western Himalayan Region
Why is it in News?
- A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change has found that dust has a large role to play in melting of snow, particularly at higher elevations.
Details:
- Black carbon has a large effect on snow darkening and resultant melting of snow.
- Transportation:
(1) Dust particles gets transported from as far as Saudi Arabia.
(2) Westerlies transport dust particles as elevated aerosol layers at maximum intensities mostly during the pre-monsoon period
(3) It gets deposited in the Western Himalayan Region — Hindu Kush, Karakoram and western Himalaya ranges.
(4) Black carbon emission is mostly a surface phenomenon and influences melting of snow from surface to about 3 km elevation.
- Black carbon Vs Dust:
(1) Black carbon has a larger snow albedo darkening effect than dust due to a larger mass absorption efficiency.
(2) The radiative effects of dust deposited on snow are comparable to black carbon in the Western Himalayan Region at higher elevations.
(3) This is mainly because the deposition of dust by mass is 100-1,000 times more than black carbon.