Quantitatively assessing the origins of aerosol zinc (Zn) is crucial for understanding of the global atmospheric Zn cycle and for formulating targeted policies to mitigate anthropogenic Zn emissions. Zn isotope ratios (denoted as δ⁶⁶Zn) serve as powerful tools for constraining the origins of aerosol Zn. This review comprehensively compiles an δ⁶⁶Zn (relative to Lyon JMC Zn standard) dataset (n = 207) for multi-sized aerosols observed exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere, encompassing diverse atmospheric environments, including urban areas and remote deserts, glacier, and ocean.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCredible projections of Arctic warming and wetting (AWW) are essential for informed decision-making in a changing climate. However, current AWW projections from state-of-the-art climate models carry uncertainties. Using observational datasets and CMIP6 model simulations, we demonstrate that the observed historical global warming trend and the climatological mean pattern of Arctic sea ice can serve as effective constraints on AWW projections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlack carbon (BC) significantly contributes to atmospheric warming and glacier melting. However, the atmospheric lifetime of BC from different fuel sources remains poorly constrained. By analyzing ΔC of BC in PM and precipitation samples collected for three years at a remote site in the Tibetan Plateau, we found that BC from fossil fuel contribution ( BC) in PM exhibited greater seasonal variation than those from South Asia and emission inventories.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtmospheric microplastics play an important role in the microplastic cycle. However, their behaviors in high-altitude remote areas were still poorly constrained. Based on one year of samples from the northeast Tibetan Plateau, we investigated the status of atmospheric microplastics and their relationships with dust.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding the distribution and drivers of microplastics (MPs) in remote and sensitive environments is essential for assessing their ecological impacts and devising mitigation strategies. This study investigates the distribution and characteristics of MPs in streams and sediments of the Mt. Everest region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVegetation assimilation of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) represents the largest dry deposition pathway in global terrestrial ecosystems. This study investigated Hg accumulation mechanisms in deciduous broadleaves and evergreen needles, focusing on how ecophysiological strategies─reflected by δC, δO, leaf mass per area, and leaf dry matter content-mediated Hg accumulation. Results showed that deciduous leaves exhibited higher total Hg (THg) concentrations and accumulation rates (THg), which were 85.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSouth Asia is a global hotspot of air pollution gaining attention due to its severe implications, in which atmospheric mercury (Hg) could cause detrimental health effects in metropolitan areas. In this study, first-time year-round (January - December 2019) mean total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentration at Kathmandu, Nepal - a sub-tropical city in South Asia was reported at 9.9 ± 10.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElemental carbon (EC), also known as black carbon, plays an important role in climate change. Accurately assessing EC concentration in aerosols remains challenging due to the overestimations caused by carbonates and organic carbon (OC) during thermal-optical measurement in the Tibetan Plateau (TP). This study evaluates the extent of EC overestimated by carbonates and OC at four remote sites (Nyalamu, Lulang, Everest and Ngari) in southern and western of the TP using different treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClimate warming has accelerated glacier melting, releasing legacy pollutants such as mercury (Hg) into aquatic ecosystems. While the relationship between Hg in glacier meltwater runoff, total suspended particles (TSP), and runoff discharges has been established, the underlying inter-relationships and governing factors remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a continuous fixed-point sampling at Laohugou No.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
December 2024
Microplastics (MPs) in glaciers of remote areas are a hot topic linking the global transport of atmospheric MPs. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) holds large volume of glaciers, providing an effective way to trace MPs transport. Moreover, MPs in glaciers may have adverse effects on the local ecosystem and human health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA field survey was conducted in the central Tibetan Plateau (Nam Co) in China for high-time resolution measurements of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particle-bound mercury (PBM). Average concentrations (± 1 SD) of GEM, PBM, and GOM from November 2014 to March 2015 were 1.11 ± 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuantification mercury (Hg) pools in forests is crucial for understanding the Hg assimilation, flux and even biogeochemical cycle in forest ecosystems. While several investigations focused on Hg pools among broad-leaved, coniferous and mixed forests, there was still absent information on alpine forest. We sampled soil, moss and various tissues of the dominant Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia Kom.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Hazard Mater
September 2024
Mercury (Hg), a global contaminant, can sink into cryosphere and be released into runoff through meltwater. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) has been witnessing ongoing shrinkage of alpine glaciers. However, the export of Hg from melting glacier is still sparsely reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe transboundary mercury (Hg) pollution has caused adverse effects on fragile ecosystems of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Yet, knowledge of transport paths and source regions of atmospheric Hg on the inland TP remains poor. Continuous measurements of atmospheric total gaseous mercury (TGM) were conducted in the central TP (Tanggula station, 5100 m a.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn modern industries, rare earth elements (REEs) are considered as essential metals and invaluable natural resources. Ion-adsorption deposits (IADs) are repositories of REE in the weathering crust soils, in which REEs are adsorbed on clay minerals. In the last few decades, the mining of REEs from IADs has caused substantial environmental damage owing to the overuse of leaching agents for the desorption and transport of REEs in weathering crust soils.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSouth and Southeast Asia (SSA) emitted black carbon (BC) exerts potential effects on glacier and snow melting and regional climate change in the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, online BC measurements were conducted for 1 year at a remote village located at the terminus of the Mingyong Glacier below the Meili Snow Mountains. The Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) was used to investigate the contribution and potential effect of SSA-emitted BC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroplastics in drinking water captured widespread attention following reports of widespread detection around the world. Concerns have been raised about the potential adverse effects of microplastics in drinking water on human health. Given the widespread interest in this research topic, there is an urgent need to compile existing data and assess current knowledge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbonaceous particles play a crucial role in atmospheric radiative forcing. However, our understanding of the behavior and sources of carbonaceous particles in remote regions remains limited. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a typical remote region that receives long-range transport of carbonaceous particles from severely polluted areas such as South Asia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssessing the relative importance of climate change and human activities is important in developing sustainable management policies for regional land use. In this study, multiple remote sensing datasets, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntibiotic resistance (AR) has been extensively studied in natural habitats and clinical applications. AR is mainly reported with the use and misuse of antibiotics; however, little is known about its presence in antibiotic-free remote supraglacial lake environments. This study evaluated bacterial strains isolated from supraglacial lake debris and meltwater in Dook Pal Glacier, northern Pakistan, for antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) and metal-tolerant genes (MTGs) using conventional PCR.
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