Size distribution of carbonaceous aerosols at a high-altitude site on the central Tibetan Plateau (Nam Co Station, 4730 m a.s.l.)

The chemical composition and size distribution characteristics of atmospheric aerosols have important effects on the environment, human health and climate change. In this paper, we study the size distribution of carbonaceous aerosols at the remote and pristine site, Nam Co Monitoring and Research Station for Multisphere Interactions, in the inland Tibetan Plateau (TP) based on collected size-segregated aerosols during 2012. The samples were quantified using the thermal/optical (TOR) method. The overall average concentrations of OC and EC in TSP, PM_9.0, PM_2.1, and PM_1.0 were 4.61 μg m^{− 3} and 0.19 μg m^{− 3}, 4.52 μg m^{− 3} and 0.18 μg m^{− 3}, 2.72 μg m^{− 3} and 0.11 μg m^{− 3}, and 2.11 μg m^{− 3} and 0.09 μg m^{− 3}, respectively. Generally, the highest concentration of OC and EC in different aerosol size occurred during winter. The low level of EC indicated that direct anthropogenic disturbances in the interior of the TP still remain insignificant.

Wan, X., S. Kang, Y. Wang, J. Xin, B. Liu, Y. Guo, T. Wen, G. Zhang, & Z. Cong (2015) Sizedistribution of carbonaceous aerosols at a high-altitudesiteon thecentral Tibetan Plateau (Nam CoStation, 4730 m a.s.l.), ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH 153:155-164.