Influence of absorbing aerosols and meteorological variability on snow cover over northern Pakistan
Syed Shakeel Ahmad Shah, Kashif Anwar, Khan Alam, Abdulhaleem H. Labban, Ozgur Zeydan
article (Uluslararası, Hakemli) | Yazar(lar): Syed Shakeel Ahmad Shah, Kashif Anwar, Khan Alam, Abdulhaleem H. Labban, Ozgur Zeydan | Yıl: 2026 | Dergi/Kurum: ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH | İndeks: WOS.SCI | DOI: 10.1016/j.apr.2026.103201 | Anahtar Kelimeler: Light-absorbing aerosols, SCE, SMF, LST, DEM — Özet: Absor
Absorbing aerosols contribute to atmospheric warming, accelerating snow and glacier melting and altering snow cover extent (SCE). Changes in SCE impact regional and global energy and water cycles, which are threatened by climate change. This study aims to investigate the seasonal variations of SCE, land surface temperature (LST), and snowmelt flux (SMF) and their long-term trends and correlation of absorbing aerosols and meteorological variables on snow parameters over northern Pakistan. SCE was extracted from MODIS; black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), and dust surface mass concentrations, LST, and SMF were extracted from MERRA-2; and air temperature (T2m) and total precipitation (TP) were extracted from ERA5. The SRTMGL1_DEM was used for elevation characterization and stratification of the study area into elevation zones. Results show that SCE reaches a maximum in February (85.8 +/- 2.5%) and a minimum in August (37.8 +/- 3.5%), reflecting winter snow accumulation and summer melting. SCE and TP show a decreasing trend of -0.118% yr(-1) and -0.004 mm yr(-1), respectively, whereas LST, SMF, and T2m show an increasing trend of 0.073 degrees C yr(-1), 1.18 & times; 10(-7) kg m(-2) s(-1) yr(-1), and 0.022 degrees C yr(-1) over the study period. The deseasonalized SCE correlations with BC and OC is strongly negative (R = -0.40 and -0.37, respectively; p < 0.001) and weakly negative with the dust (R = -0.16, p < 0.05). All the observed reductions in SCE, increases in T2m, and aerosol concentration highlight the importance of strategies for air quality management and water resource conservation.