Seasonal variation and sources of carbonaceous species and elements in PM2.5 and PM10 over the eastern Himalaya

Abstract

The study represents the seasonal characteristics (carbonaceous aerosols and elements) and contribution of prominent sources PM2.5 and PM10 in the high altitude of the eastern Himalaya (Darjeeling) during August 2018-July 2019. Carbonaceous aerosols [organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and water soluble organic carbon

Atmospheric Abundance of PM2.5 Carbonaceous Matter and Their Potential Sources at Three High-Altitude Glacier Sites over the Indian Himalayan Range

“…Sandeep et al 17 reported annual averaged PM 2.5 concentrations (73.14 ± 20.76 μg m −3 ) at Srinagar (a town in CHR), which is ∼16% lower than that reported in the present study. Furthermore, the present study reported 2−4 times higher PM 2.5 concentration in the EHR than those reported by Sharma et al 23 and Arun et al 21 Seasonal mean concentrations during summer and winter periods are 48.51 ± 13.79 and 63.39 ± 16.06 μg m −3 at the WHR and 73.77 ± 39.61 and 102.14 ± 28.99 μg m −3 at the CHR, whereas summer and winter season concentrations were 63.98 ± 26.57 and 82.41 ± 20.66 μg m −3 at the EHR. Highest seasonal average mass concentrations were found in the CHR with higher winter concentrations than nonwinter concentrations (Figure 3).…”

Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of Total Suspended Particulate in the Central Himalayan Region

“…TSP, OC, and EC concentrations were lower during the summer monsoon (June-August) (64.8 ± 73.4, 4.4 ± 2.4, and 0.5 ± 0.2 µg m −3 ) as a result of aerosol wet removal over the measurement site, and the IGP as well [7]. The seasonal variation of EC and OC, which is slightly different than that presented in Ram et al [7], shows an agreement with previous studies over Darjeeling in the eastern Himalayas [33,70] and Srinagar in Garhwal Himalayas [71]. Moderate to high levels of OC, EC, and K + in October-November and March-April, as well as high correlations (r > 0.83) between them (Figure 2), indicate a strong influence from agricultural waste burning following the harvesting periods of rice and wheat, respectively, in Punjab and Haryana states in the northwest IGP [34,37,72].…”

“…The Himalayan region, with a unique role in the Asian climate, is considered as a vulnerable environment regarding aerosol dynamics and impacts. Several chemical speciation studies have been performed for carbonaceous aerosols and inorganic species over the western and central Himalayan regions during the last decade, reporting the dominance of transported aerosol plumes from the IGP [7,[31][32][33][34][35][36]. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the primary and secondary organic carbon (POC, SOC) fractions [7], along with a lack of receptor modeling works in the central Indian Himalayas.…”

Impact of Unsustainable Environmental Conditions Due to Vehicular Emissions on Associated Lifetime Cancer Risk in India: A Novel Approach

“…EC has a cancer potency factor equivalent to carcinogenic compounds such as benzo[a]pyrene, and upon being bio-accumulated in the environment it can affect human health [ 26 ]. EC, compared to other particulates, it has smaller size and can penetrate through the walls of the respiratory organs and enter into the blood stream of the body and reach other organs [ 8 , 21 , 22 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. Moreover, EC can disturb the autonomic nervous system and, subsequently, increase the susceptibility of the heart to fatal dysrhythmias [ 3 , 9 , 10 , 21 , 22 ].…”

“…The increase in tourists also contaminates the pristine surroundings of the mountainous landscapes through activities such as, fossil fuel combustion, domestic-biomass burning, vehicular emissions, etc. [ 11 , 13 , 28 ] In this way, the atmospheric conditions of the IWHs also get contaminated with a high concentration of EC [ 31 ]. A study conducted at Nagpur showed that a significant amount of EC was present in snow samples of this region [ 18 , 19 ].…”