Clyde Burnett, Gilpin County.  It is recognized that our planet’s energy balance could be improved rapidly by limiting the effects of pollutants with short atmospheric lifetimes, such as methane, tropospheric ozone, and black carbon. Reducing emissions of these global warming contributors would provide a quick correction to the course of climate change compared to the centuries required for reversal of the effects of CO2. The cost of these environmental corrections would also be much less than the predicted costs of shifting energy production from fossil fuels to solar and wind.

Question: What is black carbon?

Answer: The EPA 2012 report to Congress on black carbon has described details of this environmental problem. Black carbon refers to the atmospheric particulates that result from incomplete combustion in diesel engines, wood fires, or forest wildfires. The black carbon atmospheric particulates absorb not only some of the Earth’s heat radiation, but also absorb sunlight in the sun’s maximum intensity in the visible.

These particulates are also a health hazard. The EPA report indicates that the US contribution to global black carbon is about 8 %, due largely to incomplete combustion from diesel engines of trucks, railroad, ocean vessels and coal fired power plants. A larger contribution from developing countries is due mostly to wood-fired cooking.

Question: What happens to the energy absorbed by black carbon?

Answer:  When black carbon particles in the air absorb energy, the energy causes the surrounding air to warm. There is also a large indirect effect of black carbon deposition on surfaces of seasonal snow, glaciers, and sea ice. Black carbon particles on snow and ice increase the melting rates by energy transfer in the snow and ice. Imagine wearing a black t-shirt on a sunny day as compared to a white t-shirt.  The increased melting of the dirty snow and ice further decreases the reflectivity, causing an additional negative feedback and increasing the energy imbalance.

Question: How much does black carbon contribute to global warming?

Answer:  Recent analyses suggest this contribution to energy imbalance may be second in importance only to the greenhouse effect of atmospheric CO2.

Question: Does this cause other climate problems?

Answer: The early spring runoff and the disappearing glaciers lead to reduced water supplies for human use, agriculture, and energy generation.

Question:  How is the black carbon measured?

Answer:  The most common way of measuring black carbon in the atmosphere is by filtration of the air. Boulder County measures black carbon by filtration in numerous areas throughout the county.  Black carbon in snow can be measured using similar filtration techniques on melted snow samples.

Black carbon measurements are being made by volunteers of the American Climbers Science Program, whose world headquarters are in Eldora, Colorado, on snowfields and glaciers in numerous locations throughout the world. This research is an outgrowth of recreational mountaineering by individuals with scientific background and interest.

Studies in the Andes were initiated by Eldora resident Dr. Carl Schmitt of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, using his vacation time. Global warming and black carbon deposits have caused the melting of more than 40% of the Peruvian glaciers. The South American measurements indicate local black carbon sources could be significantly jeopardizing rural and urban fresh water supplies.

The American Climbers Science Program measurements were recently reported to the UN Climate Conference in Lima to emphasize the adaptations needed for conservation assistance from the world’s developed countries.