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research article

Widespread Black Carbon Deposition of Varied Origin Exported From Glaciers

Holt, Amy D.
•
Barton, Riley
•
Wagner, Sasha
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April 1, 2025
Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Atmospheric deposition delivers carbon to glacier surfaces, including from fossil fuel and biomass combustion. Nonetheless, spatial variation in the sources of organic and black carbon deposited on glaciers is poorly understood, along with their role in driving glacier outflow dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition and fate. Here, we used bulk and compound-specific carbon isotopic analyses to constrain the sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved black carbon (DBC) in 10 glacier outflows across four regions. To understand the relationships between glacier DOM composition and sources of DOC and DBC, isotopic data were used in conjunction with ultrahigh resolution molecular-level analyses. Globally, a substantial yet variable component of DOC was sourced from anthropogenic aerosols (12%-91%; median 50%), influencing regional DOM composition (aliphatics 26.9%-58.4% relative abundance; RA). Relatively older radiocarbon ages (i.e., larger fossil-derived component) of glacier DOC were correlated with more 13C depleted DOC and DBC signatures, where DOM had higher aromaticity, elevated RA of condensed aromatics, and a lower RA of aliphatic compounds. This study highlights that anthropogenic deposition is pervasive, but its extent varies spatially with ramifications for DOM composition, and thus reactivity and fate.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1029/2024GB008359
Web of Science ID

WOS:001462214800001

Author(s)
Holt, Amy D.

State University System of Florida

Barton, Riley

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Wagner, Sasha

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Mckenna, Amy M.

Colorado State University System

Fellman, Jason

University of Alaska System

Hood, Eran

University of Alaska System

Battin, Tom I.  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Peter, Hannes  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Spencer, Robert G. M.

State University System of Florida

Corporate authors
Vanishing Glaciers Field Team
Date Issued

2025-04-01

Publisher

AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION

Published in
Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Volume

39

Issue

4

Article Number

e2024GB008359

Subjects

dissolved organic matter

•

black carbon

•

FT-ICR MS

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biomarkers

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carbon isotopes

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cryosphere

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
RIVER  
FunderFunding(s)Grant NumberGrant URL

NOMIS Stiftung, Vanishing Glaciers

Winchester Foundation

International Association of Geochemistry - Vanishing Glaciers Project from the NOMIS Foundation

OIA-1757348

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Available on Infoscience
April 23, 2025
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/249405
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