The effect of wildfires on air quality in Kathmandu, Nepal
Air pollution spikes in the central Himalayas' southern regions, including Nepal and northern India, occur mainly from wildfires during March to May. Despite being a significant contributor to pre-monsoon pollution, wildfire smoke remains under-researched. This study used multiple datasets and...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Environmental Advances |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765724000115 |
| _version_ | 1797262855256408064 |
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| author | Sajesh Kuikel Binod Pokharel Nawraj Bhattarai |
| author_facet | Sajesh Kuikel Binod Pokharel Nawraj Bhattarai |
| author_sort | Sajesh Kuikel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Air pollution spikes in the central Himalayas' southern regions, including Nepal and northern India, occur mainly from wildfires during March to May. Despite being a significant contributor to pre-monsoon pollution, wildfire smoke remains under-researched. This study used multiple datasets and trajectory analysis to examine hazardous air pollution levels in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley from 2018-2022. It found 47 days exceeding the daily PM2.5 limit of 100 μg/m3, peaking at 305 μg/m3. The pollution was largely due to wildfire smoke from neighboring and transboundary areas, with a strong correlation between active fire counts and pollution levels. The correlation peaked at 0.89 (p<0.05) when lagged by two days during high fire years, like 2021, highlighting the valley's vulnerability due to its bowl-shaped structure. Our findings can inform legislation to mitigate wildfire-induced air pollution, which impacts both public health and the economy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T02:00:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-71b386352a7d4967b20f21f64ee0bc7a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-7657 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:03:44Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Advances |
| spelling | doaj.art-71b386352a7d4967b20f21f64ee0bc7a2024-03-14T06:16:33ZengElsevierEnvironmental Advances2666-76572024-04-0115100493The effect of wildfires on air quality in Kathmandu, NepalSajesh Kuikel0Binod Pokharel1Nawraj Bhattarai2Department of Civil Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur, NepalCentral Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; Department of Plants, Soils and Climate, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84321, USA; Corresponding author.Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur, NepalAir pollution spikes in the central Himalayas' southern regions, including Nepal and northern India, occur mainly from wildfires during March to May. Despite being a significant contributor to pre-monsoon pollution, wildfire smoke remains under-researched. This study used multiple datasets and trajectory analysis to examine hazardous air pollution levels in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley from 2018-2022. It found 47 days exceeding the daily PM2.5 limit of 100 μg/m3, peaking at 305 μg/m3. The pollution was largely due to wildfire smoke from neighboring and transboundary areas, with a strong correlation between active fire counts and pollution levels. The correlation peaked at 0.89 (p<0.05) when lagged by two days during high fire years, like 2021, highlighting the valley's vulnerability due to its bowl-shaped structure. Our findings can inform legislation to mitigate wildfire-induced air pollution, which impacts both public health and the economy.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765724000115WildfiresPM2.5Air pollutionKathmandu |
| spellingShingle | Sajesh Kuikel Binod Pokharel Nawraj Bhattarai The effect of wildfires on air quality in Kathmandu, Nepal Environmental Advances Wildfires PM2.5 Air pollution Kathmandu |
| title | The effect of wildfires on air quality in Kathmandu, Nepal |
| title_full | The effect of wildfires on air quality in Kathmandu, Nepal |
| title_fullStr | The effect of wildfires on air quality in Kathmandu, Nepal |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of wildfires on air quality in Kathmandu, Nepal |
| title_short | The effect of wildfires on air quality in Kathmandu, Nepal |
| title_sort | effect of wildfires on air quality in kathmandu nepal |
| topic | Wildfires PM2.5 Air pollution Kathmandu |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765724000115 |
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