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Two decades of aerosol trends over India: seasonal characteristics and urban-rural dynamics

Journal Article · · Environmental Research Letters
 [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Indian Inst. of Technology (IIT) (India)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
India faces significant air quality challenges, with one of the highest air pollution levels of any country in the world. Here, we examine two decades (2001–2019) of both particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration and aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the country. Increases are seen between the two decadal averages, for 2001–2010 and 2011–2019, in western India, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). IGP region, including Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, shows the highest increases in AOD (+0.03, 13%) and PM2.5, s (+8 µg m-3). Seasonal AOD patterns fluctuate, with the IGP experiencing the highest wintertime increase, especially in Bihar (+0.07). In summer, there are increases in AOD along the southern and eastern coastal areas. Monsoons cause a slight rise in AOD, except in Rajasthan. In the post-monsoon season, the IGP experiences a notable increase in AOD (+0.057, 25%), potentially driven by biomass burning in Bihar (+0.11) and Uttar Pradesh (+0.075). Dividing our study area into urban and peri-urban clusters (n = 2791), AOD is found to be similar, possibly due to advective mixing. However, the differences between urban and rural areas become more noticeable, especially in the second decade. Correlations between AOD and PM2.5, g vary across locations, with the highest found in Kanpur (R2 = 0.61) and weaker in Delhi (R2 = 0.42), highlighting the need for more ground monitoring. However, it suggests that satellite-derived AOD can generally be used to examine trends in PM2.5 over longer time frames.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
2479803
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2477454
OSTI ID: 2560289
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA--201521
Journal Information:
Environmental Research Letters, Journal Name: Environmental Research Letters Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 19; ISSN 1748-9326
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
India
aerosol
particulate matter
remote sensing
rural
satellite
urban