%0 Journal Article
%T Long-term spatial distribution and implication of black and brown carbon in the Tibetan Plateau.
%A Wang LY
%A Qu Y
%A Wang N
%A Shi JL
%A Zhou Y
%A Cao Y
%A Yang XL
%A Shi YQ
%A Liu SX
%A Zhu CS
%A Cao JJ
%J Sci Total Environ
%V 945
%N 0
%D 2024 Oct 1
%M 38906307
%F 10.753
%R 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174093
%X Black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) over the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau (TP) can significantly influence regional and global climate change as well as glacial melting. However, obtaining plateau-scale in situ observations is challenging due to its high altitude. By integrating reanalysis data with on-site measurements, the spatial distribution of BC and BrC can be accurately estimated using the random forest algorithm (RF). In our study, the on-site observations of BC and BrC were successively conducted at four sites from 2018 to 2021. Ground-level BC and BrC concentrations were then obtained at a spatial resolution of 0.25° × 0.25° for three periods (including Periods-1980, 2000, and 2020) using RF and multi-source data. The highest annual concentrations of BC (1363.9 ± 338.7 ng/m3) and BrC (372.1 ± 96.2 ng/m3) were observed during Period-2000. BC contributed a dominant proportion of carbonaceous aerosol, with concentrations 3-4 times higher than those of BrC across the three periods. The ratios of BrC to BC decreased from Period-1980 to Period-2020, indicating the increasing importance of BC over the TP. Spatial distributions of plateau-scale BC and BrC concentrations showed heightened levels in the southeastern TP, particularly during Period-2000. These findings significantly enhance our understanding of the spatio-temporal distribution of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosol over the TP.