Abstract: The Tibetan Plateau located in the southwest of China with its high elevation (average height over 4 000 m) and special geographical location. The Tibetan Plateau is a natural laboratory for atmospheric pollution research because of its relatively pristine environment and clean air due to its low emission of atmospheric pollutants. Nam Co Station, located in the inland Tibetan Plateau, is a typical atmospheric background station in the Northern Hemisphere. The Himalayas separate the Tibetan Plateau from the South Asia which is heavily polluted. Air pollutants released from South Asia can be transported though the Himalayas to the inland Tibetan Plateau by the transport of air mass. The Indian summer monsoon and westerly circulation played important roles in the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants and has different mechanisms for different atmospheric pollutants. Researchers have conducted measurements of multiple air pollutants at the Nam Co Station in the inland Tibetan Plateau and obtained a series of results, which greatly promoted the scientific research on air pollution on the plateau and provided a scientific basis for China’s international environmental negotiations.

Key words:  , Tibetan Plateau, Nam Co, atmospheric pollutant, long-range transport