Spatiotemporal characteristics of black carbon over the Tibetan Plateau and validation of MERRA-2 and TAP datasets

LAI Jing; XIE Min-sheng; WANG Ya-qiang; KANG Shi-chang; CHEN Peng-fei; WAN Xin; CONG Zhi-yuan

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China Environmental Science ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (3) : 1238-1246.

Air Pollution Control

Spatiotemporal characteristics of black carbon over the Tibetan Plateau and validation of MERRA-2 and TAP datasets

LAI Jing¹, XIE Min-sheng¹, WANG Ya-qiang², KANG Shi-chang^3,4, CHEN Peng-fei³, WAN Xin⁵, CONG Zhi-yuan¹

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Abstract

To evaluate the applicability of the MERRA-2 and TAP datasets over the Plateau, ground-based observations from the Qomolangma, Nam Co, and Waliguan stations were utilized to validate the accuracy of atmospheric black carbon (BC) in both datasets. Results showed that Nam Co had the lowest annual mean BC concentration (0.04μg/m³), while Qomolangma (0.26μg/m³) and Waliguan (0.28μg/m³) recorded higher levels. All stations exhibited a clear seasonal cycle, with higher concentrations in winter and spring and lower values in summer. MERRA-2 effectively reproduced the seasonal and temporal variations of BC, whereas TAP displayed a systematic overestimation across the Plateau, with annual deviations reaching up to four times in some years, indicating lower accuracy. During the March 2021 transboundary BC transport event from South Asia, MERRA-2 showed good capability in capturing the process, providing direct scientific evidence for cross-border pollutant transmission to the Plateau.

Key words

black carbon / Tibetan Plateau / MERRA-2 / TAP / ground validation

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LAI Jing, XIE Min-sheng, WANG Ya-qiang, KANG Shi-chang, CHEN Peng-fei, WAN Xin, CONG Zhi-yuan. Spatiotemporal characteristics of black carbon over the Tibetan Plateau and validation of MERRA-2 and TAP datasets[J]. China Environmental Science. 2026, 46(3): 1238-1246

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