The goal of this work was to characterize the spatial distribution of black carbon (BC) concentrations along various locations and elevations on the Juneau Icefield at two different times of year. We aimed to examine spatial and temporal patterns in BC distribution and to assist in calibration of remote sensing imagery of albedo. We hypothesized that BC concentrations would be higher in snow samples closest to areas urbanized and/or heavily used by the tourism industry (including cruise ships, buses, and helicopters). We also wanted to assess the levels of BC in the absence of strong local sourcing, in order to characterize potential long-range BC deposition, sourced from distant industrialized nations. By examining spatial variations in BC concentrations according to distance from Juneau, and comparing concentrations to those measured elsewhere along the West Coast of North America (e.g. Kaspari et al. 2015), this project’s goal was to conduct the first known characterization of BC levels in regional snow and to attempt to unravel the relative contributions of its sources. This effort represents an important step toward understanding how BC deposition may be impacting rates of glacier volume loss from glaciers and icefields in the Coast Mountains of southeast Alaska.
