In the snows of Antarctica, black carbon was discovered - a product of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. The find was made near the Amundsen-Scott base, which is located at the South Pole. Antarctica is traditionally considered the most ecologically clean region of the planet. The white, untouched snows of the continent reflect the sun's rays, making the region almost immune to melting.
But the presence of black carbon in Antarctic snow suggests that the albedo (reflectivity) of the continent is decreasing. The particles are capable of absorbing sunlight over a wide range of wavelengths, which means Antarctica will heat up and melt.
The study by a team of scientists led by Kimberly Casey from NASA's Cryosphere Science Laboratory (USA) was the first one conducted in the field, rather than using remote sensing devices. They measured the albedo at 7 points in Antarctica, studied the composition of the snow and established the size of foreign particles. It turned out that the radiation heating of the samples reached 70 W / m2, which is 2 times higher than the norm for pure snow.
And yet Antarctica appears to be completely white so far. Scientists note that the albedo must drop 25% relative to normal for the change in snow color to become noticeable to the naked eye.
