Seasonal features of aerosol particles recorded in snow from Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) and their environmental implications

To assess the seasonality of aerosol deposition and anthropogenic effects on central Himalayas, a 1.85-m deep snow pit was dug on the northern slope of Mt. Qomolangma (Everest). Based on the morphology and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) signal, totally 1500 particles were classed into 7 groups: soot; aluminosilicates; fly ash; calcium sulfates; Ca/Mg carbonates; metal oxides; and biological particles and carbon fragments. The size distribution and number fractions of different particle groups exhibited distinct seasonal variations between non-monsoon and monsoon periods, which are clearly related to the differences in air mass pathways. Specifically, the relative abundance of soot in non-monsoon period (25%) was much higher than that in monsoon period (14%), indicating Mt. Qomolangma region received more anthropogenic influence in non-monsoon than monsoon period.