Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of Total Suspended Particulate in the Central Himalayan Region
The present study analyzes data from total suspended particulate (TSP) samples collected during 3 years (2005–2008) at Nainital, central Himalayas, India and analyzed for carbonaceous aerosols (organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC)) and inorganic species, focusing on the assessment of primar...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-09-01
|
| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/9/1228 |
| _version_ | 1797520230541426688 |
|---|---|
| author | Rahul Sheoran Umesh Chandra Dumka Dimitris G. Kaskaoutis Georgios Grivas Kirpa Ram Jai Prakash Rakesh K. Hooda Rakesh K. Tiwari Nikos Mihalopoulos |
| author_facet | Rahul Sheoran Umesh Chandra Dumka Dimitris G. Kaskaoutis Georgios Grivas Kirpa Ram Jai Prakash Rakesh K. Hooda Rakesh K. Tiwari Nikos Mihalopoulos |
| author_sort | Rahul Sheoran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present study analyzes data from total suspended particulate (TSP) samples collected during 3 years (2005–2008) at Nainital, central Himalayas, India and analyzed for carbonaceous aerosols (organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC)) and inorganic species, focusing on the assessment of primary and secondary organic carbon contributions (POC, SOC, respectively) and on source apportionment by positive matrix factorization (PMF). An average TSP concentration of 69.6 ± 51.8 µg m<sup>−3</sup> was found, exhibiting a pre-monsoon (March–May) maximum (92.9 ± 48.5 µg m<sup>−3</sup>) due to dust transport and forest fires and a monsoon (June–August) minimum due to atmospheric washout, while carbonaceous aerosols and inorganic species expressed a similar seasonality. The mean OC/EC ratio (8.0 ± 3.3) and the good correlations between OC, EC, and nss-K<sup>+</sup> suggested that biomass burning (BB) was one of the major contributing factors to aerosols in Nainital. Using the EC tracer method, along with several approaches for the determination of the (OC/EC)pri ratio, the estimated SOC component accounted for ~25% (19.3–29.7%). Furthermore, TSP source apportionment via PMF allowed for a better understanding of the aerosol sources in the Central Himalayan region. The key aerosol sources over Nainital were BB (27%), secondary sulfate (20%), secondary nitrate (9%), mineral dust (34%), and long-range transported mixed marine aerosol (10%). The potential source contribution function (PSCF) and concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) analyses were also used to identify the probable regional source areas of resolved aerosol sources. The main source regions for aerosols in Nainital were the plains in northwest India and Pakistan, polluted cities like Delhi, the Thar Desert, and the Arabian Sea area. The outcomes of the present study are expected to elucidate the atmospheric chemistry, emission source origins, and transport pathways of aerosols over the central Himalayan region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:53:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0d347abefcfd4082acb0af6c6448ccf2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:53:50Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-0d347abefcfd4082acb0af6c6448ccf22023-11-22T12:01:10ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332021-09-01129122810.3390/atmos12091228Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of Total Suspended Particulate in the Central Himalayan RegionRahul Sheoran0Umesh Chandra Dumka1Dimitris G. Kaskaoutis2Georgios Grivas3Kirpa Ram4Jai Prakash5Rakesh K. Hooda6Rakesh K. Tiwari7Nikos Mihalopoulos8Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital 263001, IndiaAryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital 263001, IndiaInstitute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Palaia Penteli, 15236 Athens, GreeceInstitute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Palaia Penteli, 15236 Athens, GreeceInstitute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, IndiaAerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory, Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USAFinnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palménin Aukio 1, FI-00560 Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Physics, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur 273009, IndiaInstitute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Palaia Penteli, 15236 Athens, GreeceThe present study analyzes data from total suspended particulate (TSP) samples collected during 3 years (2005–2008) at Nainital, central Himalayas, India and analyzed for carbonaceous aerosols (organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC)) and inorganic species, focusing on the assessment of primary and secondary organic carbon contributions (POC, SOC, respectively) and on source apportionment by positive matrix factorization (PMF). An average TSP concentration of 69.6 ± 51.8 µg m<sup>−3</sup> was found, exhibiting a pre-monsoon (March–May) maximum (92.9 ± 48.5 µg m<sup>−3</sup>) due to dust transport and forest fires and a monsoon (June–August) minimum due to atmospheric washout, while carbonaceous aerosols and inorganic species expressed a similar seasonality. The mean OC/EC ratio (8.0 ± 3.3) and the good correlations between OC, EC, and nss-K<sup>+</sup> suggested that biomass burning (BB) was one of the major contributing factors to aerosols in Nainital. Using the EC tracer method, along with several approaches for the determination of the (OC/EC)pri ratio, the estimated SOC component accounted for ~25% (19.3–29.7%). Furthermore, TSP source apportionment via PMF allowed for a better understanding of the aerosol sources in the Central Himalayan region. The key aerosol sources over Nainital were BB (27%), secondary sulfate (20%), secondary nitrate (9%), mineral dust (34%), and long-range transported mixed marine aerosol (10%). The potential source contribution function (PSCF) and concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) analyses were also used to identify the probable regional source areas of resolved aerosol sources. The main source regions for aerosols in Nainital were the plains in northwest India and Pakistan, polluted cities like Delhi, the Thar Desert, and the Arabian Sea area. The outcomes of the present study are expected to elucidate the atmospheric chemistry, emission source origins, and transport pathways of aerosols over the central Himalayan region.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/9/1228chemical compositionTSPsecondary organic carbonPMFsource apportionmentcentral Himalayas |
| spellingShingle | Rahul Sheoran Umesh Chandra Dumka Dimitris G. Kaskaoutis Georgios Grivas Kirpa Ram Jai Prakash Rakesh K. Hooda Rakesh K. Tiwari Nikos Mihalopoulos Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of Total Suspended Particulate in the Central Himalayan Region Atmosphere chemical composition TSP secondary organic carbon PMF source apportionment central Himalayas |
| title | Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of Total Suspended Particulate in the Central Himalayan Region |
| title_full | Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of Total Suspended Particulate in the Central Himalayan Region |
| title_fullStr | Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of Total Suspended Particulate in the Central Himalayan Region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of Total Suspended Particulate in the Central Himalayan Region |
| title_short | Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of Total Suspended Particulate in the Central Himalayan Region |
| title_sort | chemical composition and source apportionment of total suspended particulate in the central himalayan region |
| topic | chemical composition TSP secondary organic carbon PMF source apportionment central Himalayas |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/9/1228 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rahulsheoran chemicalcompositionandsourceapportionmentoftotalsuspendedparticulateinthecentralhimalayanregion AT umeshchandradumka chemicalcompositionandsourceapportionmentoftotalsuspendedparticulateinthecentralhimalayanregion AT dimitrisgkaskaoutis chemicalcompositionandsourceapportionmentoftotalsuspendedparticulateinthecentralhimalayanregion AT georgiosgrivas chemicalcompositionandsourceapportionmentoftotalsuspendedparticulateinthecentralhimalayanregion AT kirparam chemicalcompositionandsourceapportionmentoftotalsuspendedparticulateinthecentralhimalayanregion AT jaiprakash chemicalcompositionandsourceapportionmentoftotalsuspendedparticulateinthecentralhimalayanregion AT rakeshkhooda chemicalcompositionandsourceapportionmentoftotalsuspendedparticulateinthecentralhimalayanregion AT rakeshktiwari chemicalcompositionandsourceapportionmentoftotalsuspendedparticulateinthecentralhimalayanregion AT nikosmihalopoulos chemicalcompositionandsourceapportionmentoftotalsuspendedparticulateinthecentralhimalayanregion |