Levels and spatial distributions of levoglucosan and dissolved organic carbon in snowpits over the Tibetan Plateau glaciers

In this study, we collected 60 snowpit samples in nine glaciers from the northern to the southern Tibetan Plateau (TP), to study the levels and spatial distributions of levoglucosan and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The lowest concentration of levoglucosan was found in the Yuzhufeng (YZF) glacier with a mean value of 0.24 ± 0.08 ng mL− 1, while the highest concentration of levoglucosan was detected in the Gurenhekou (GRHK) glacier with a mean value of 11.72 ± 15.61 ng mL− 1. However, the average DOC concentration in TP glaciers were comparable, without significant regional differences. The levoglucosan/DOC ratio ranged from 0.02 to 6.03% in the Tibetan Plateau glaciers. This ratios and the correlations between levoglucosan and DOC suggested that biomass burning products contributed only marginally to DOC levels in the TP glaciers. Moreover, the analysis of air mass backward trajectories suggested that levoglucosan and DOC in TP glaciers should be transported from the northwestern TP, internal TP, Central Asia, South and East Asia regions.