Measurement report: Impact of domestic heating on dust deposition sources in hyper-arid Qaidam Basin, northern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

Abstract. Given the unique energy profile of the Qaidam Basin (QDB), it is crucial to examine the impacts of domestic heating on, the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QXP), and global atmospheric systems. This study collected monthly dust deposition six sites in the southern QDB between 2020 and 2023. We identified the sources of dust-fall during domestic heating (HP) and non-heating periods (NHP) in urban and rural and its environmental effects. The results demonstrated that domestic heating increased the concentration of water-soluble ions in rural, trace elements in urban, and carbon emissions in both. Among various carbon indicators, organic carbon (OC) and element carbon (EC) levels rose during the HP, with Char-EC as the primary component of EC. Char-EC concentrations were higher in urban areas, while secondary organic carbon, the main contributor to OC, was more prevalent in rural. The OC/EC and char-EC/soot-EC ratios, along with PMF results, indicated that coal and biomass burning were the main contributors to dust deposition in rural, strongly influenced by domestic heating, whereas urban dust predominantly originated from vehicle and industrial emissions. Coal consumption in QDB was greater during the HP than that of other dust sources in the QXP. This increased consumption leads to higher emissions of atmospheric pollutions, which may accelerate glacier melting in the region. Consequently, integrating QDB carbon aerosols into future environmental policies and climate models for the QXP is essential. This study provides a reference for investigating carbonaceous aerosols in climatically similar hyper-arid basins with intensive human activity and salt lake regions.