Diurnal Variations in the Air Pollutants Concentration over Haryana, India, and Understanding their Emission Sources

• Published in: Water, air, and soil pollution air, and soil pollution, 2022-07, Vol.233 (7), Article 277
• Main Authors: Mor, Sahil, Bhukal, Santosh, Bishnoi, Narsi Ram, Ravindra, Khaiwal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air pollution; Air quality; Ammonia; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Burning; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Cropping systems; Diurnal variations; Earth and Environmental Science; Emission; Emissions; Environment; Environmental monitoring; Hazardous air pollutants; Hydrogeology; Industrial plant emissions; Industrial pollution; Mixing height; Monsoons; Nitrogen compounds; Outdoor air quality; Oxides; Paper industry; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Pollutants; Power plants; Pulp & paper industry; Seasons; Soil Science & Conservation; Stainless steel; Stainless steels; Stubble; Suspended particulate matter; Thermal energy; Thermal power; Thermal power plants; Water Quality/Water Pollution; Wind
• ISSN: 0049-6979; 1573-2932
• DOI: 10.1007/s11270-022-05730-6

India's Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region has become the global hotspot of air pollution, and stubble burning in northern India has increased the concern due to its impact on air quality and health. The current study focuses on studying the diurnal variation of air pollutants for the first time covering Haryana, India, and identifying the sources responsible for air pollutants emissions during the different seasons of the year. Based on ecology and cropping pattern, the study area was divided in three zones. In all seasons, the diurnal peak concentrations of particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) were found highest in Zone 2 as compared to Zone 1 and Zone 3, which can be due to the high polluting districts located in Zone 2 including Hisar where thermal power plants, stainless steel producing industry and pulp and paper industry are located along with district Faridabad which is known as the industrial capital of Haryana. The lowest average hourly concentration of PM 10 and PM 2.5 was found in late afternoon hours in winter, pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season in all three zones due to a decrease in traffic volumes which lead to low emission rates along with increase in the mixing height which cause favorable dispersion conditions. The lowest hourly mean concentration of CO, NO x and NH 3 in all zones was found during the afternoon hours in all seasons. The study also focuses on understanding the day and time patterns and the maxima and minima of pollutants concentrations in different zones of Haryana.