High seasonal variation of atmospheric C and particle concentrations in Delhi, India

• Published in: Environmental chemistry letters 2014-03, Vol.12 (1), p.225-230
• Main Authors: Mandal, Papiya, Saud, T, Sarkar, R, Mandal, A, Sharma, S. K, Mandal, T. K, Bassin, J. K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerosols; Air pollution; Air quality; Airborne particulates; Analytical Chemistry; Atmospheric chemistry; biomass; burning; chemical composition; Cities; climate; coal; combustion; Earth and Environmental Science; economic development; Economic growth; Ecotoxicology; emissions; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Geochemistry; Industrial areas; Original Paper; Particulate matter; particulates; Pollution; seasonal variation; Seasonal variations; Vehicle emissions
• ISSN: 1610-3653; 1610-3661
• DOI: 10.1007/s10311-013-0438-y

The highly populated Indian regions are currently in a phase of rapid economic growth resulting in high emissions of carbonaceous aerosols. This leads to poor air quality and impact on climate. The chemical composition of carbonaceous aerosols has rarely been studied in industrial areas of India. Here, we investigated carbonaceous aerosols in particulate matter (PM) monthly in the industrial area of Delhi in 2011. The concentrations of organic C and elemental C in PM₁₀ fraction were analyzed. Results show a clear seasonal variability of organic and elemental C. PM₁₀ ranged 95.9–453.5 μg m⁻³, organic C ranged 28.8–159.4 μg m⁻³, and elemental C ranged 7.5–44.0 μg m⁻³; those values were higher than reported values. Organic and elemental C were correlated with each other in pre-monsoon and winter seasons, implying the existence of similar emission sources such as coal combustion, biomass burning and vehicular exhaust. The annual average contribution of total carbonaceous aerosols in PM₁₀ was estimated as 62 %.