A study published September 28, 2018, in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics traces black carbon transport from the 1991 Gulf War Kuwait oil fires to ice in northern Tibet.
The climate in this region is very sensitive to warming, so any small change in the region’s warming mechanisms could have large impacts on the glaciers and the hydrological cycle.
Researchers say this soot could affect glacier melt at the Tibetan plateau, considered the “Water Tower of Asia.” Black carbon in the air absorbs and scatters solar radiation, impacting the radiative balance. There is also a more direct affect on the ice, contributing to greater melting