Influence of Particulate Matter Air Pollution on High Mountain Glaciers: Concentration and Size Distribution Determination

摘要

Airborne particulate matter (PM) is one of the main environmental problems in most of the cities in the world. Aerosol particles are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and exert an important influence on global climate and the environment. Besides, particulate matter can be transported from their emission sources to be deposited on pristine zones like mountains and glaciers. Depositions of impurities on snowpacks or glaciers were found to reduce their surface albedo and therefore enhance melting and contribute to global warming by additional light-absorption. So far, soot from fossil fuel combustion was most emphasized due to its strong absorption properties and its anthropogenic origin.