Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Variation Of Black Carbon And Particulate Matter In Bhubaneswar During The Pre-monsoon: Possible Impact Of Meteorology And COVID-19 Lockdown


Affiliations
1 Environment and Sustainability Department, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 013, India
 

To combat the present COVID-19 pandemic, a coun-trywide lockdown (LD) was imposed in India from 25 March until 31 May 2020. This unique scenario brought a decline in various anthropogenic activities leading to a considerable decrease in the concentra-tion of several atmospheric pollutants. In this scenar-io, CSIR-IMMT Bhubaneswar carried out black carbon (BC), PM10 and PM2.5 analysis through optical and gravimetric measurements, respectively, during March-May 2020 followed by a comparison with pre-vious years (2017–2018) of observation. There was a reduction of ~33% in average overall BC concentra-tion along with a significant drop in PM10 (33%) (P < 0.05) and PM2.5 (~38%) (P < 0.05) during the entire LD period as compared to 2017–2018. During LD, contribution from biomass burning was enhanced by almost 3 times as compared to 2017–2018. Howev-er, the simultaneous meteorological variation during the LD period prevents clear distinction of the impact of lockdown on BC and PM.

Keywords

Black Carbon, Biomass Burning, Fossil Fuel, Lockdown, Particulate Matter.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Helin, A. et al., Characteristics and source apportionment of black carbon in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. Atmos. Envi-ron., 2018, 190, 87–98.

  • Babu, S. S. and Moorthy, K. K., Anthropogenic impact on aerosol black carbon mass concentration at a tropical coastal station: a case study. Curr. Sci., 2001, 81(9), 1208–1214.

  • Reddy, M. S. and Venkataraman, C., Direct radiative forcing from anthropogenic carbonaceous aerosols over India. Curr. Sci., 1999, 76, 1005–1011.

  • Tiwari, V. S., Srivastava, A. K., Bisht, D. S., Parmita, P., Sriva-stava, M. J. and Attri, S. D., Diurnal and seasonal variations of black carbon and PM2.5 over New Delhi, India: Influence of meteorology. Atmos. Res., 2013, 125–126, 50–62.

  • Watson, J. G., Visibility: science and regulation. J. Air Waste Manage. Assoc., 2002, 52, 628–713.

  • Penner, J. E., Eddleman, H. and Novakov, T., Towards the deve-lopment of a global inventory for black carbon emissions. Atmos. Environ., 1993, 27, 1277–1295.

  • Jacobson, M., Strong radiative heating due to the mixing state of B.C. in atmospheric aerosols. Nature, 2001, 409, 695–697.

  • Zhao, S., Yu, Ye., Yin, D., He, J., Liu, Na., Qu, J. and Xiao, J., Annual and diurnal variations of gaseous and particulate pollutants in 31 provincial capital cities based on in situ air quality monitor-ing data from China National Environmental Monitoring Center. Environ. Int., 2016, 86, 92–106.

  • Pillai, P. S., Babu, S. S. and Krishna Moorthy, K., A study of PM, PM10 and PM2.5 concentration at a tropical coastal station. Atmos. Res., 2002, 61(2), 149–167.

  • Satheesh, S. K., Atmospheric chemistry and climate. Curr. Sci., 2012, 102(3), 426–439.

  • Al-Hemoud, A., Al-Dousari, A., Al-Shatti, A., Al-Khayat, A., Behbehani, W. and Malak, M., Health impact assessment associat-ed with exposure to PM10 and dust storms in Kuwait. Atmosphere, 2018, 9(1), 6.

  • Seinfeld, J. H., Pandis, S. N. and Noone, K., Atmospheric chemis-try and physics: from air pollution to climate change. Phys. Today, 1998, 51(10), 88.

  • Mahapatra, P. S., Sinha, P. R., Boopathy, R., Das, T., Mohanty, S. and Sahu, Seasonal progression of atmospheric particulate matter over an urban coastal region in peninsular India: Role of local meteorology and long-range transport. Atmos. Res., 2018, 199, 145–158.

  • Panda, S. et al., A study on variation of atmospheric pollutants over Bhubaneswar during imposition of nationwide lockdown in India for the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Qual. Atmos. Health, 2020, 14(1), 97–108.

  • Mallik, C., Mahapatra, P. S., Kumar, P., Panda, S., Boopathy, R., Das, T. and Lal, S., Influence of regional emissions on SO2 con-centrations over Bhubaneswar, a capital city in eastern India downwind of the Indian SO2 hotspots. Atmos. Environ., 2019, 209, 220–232.

  • Mahapatra, P. S. et al., Seasonal trends, meteorological impacts, and associated health risks with atmospheric concentrations of gaseous pollutants at an Indian coastal city. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 2014, 21, 11418–11432.

  • Sandradewi, J., Prévôt, A. S. H., Weingartner, E., Schmidhauser, R., Gysel, M. and Baltensperger, U., A study of wood burning and traffic aerosols in an Alpine valley using a multi-wavelength Aethalometer. Atmos. Environ., 2008, 42(1), 101–112.

  • Sandradewi, J. et al., Using aerosol light absorption measurements for the quantitative determination of wood burning and traffic emission contributions to particulate matter. Environ. Sci. Tech-nol., 2008, 42(9), 3316–3323.

  • Titos, G. et al., Spatial and temporal variability of carbonaceous aerosols: assessing the impact of biomass burning in the urban environment. Sci. Total Environ., 2017, 578, 613–625.

  • Mahapatra, P. S. et al., Urban air-quality assessment and source apportionment studies for Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. Theor. Appl. Climatol., 2013, 112, 243–251.

  • Sousan, S., Koehler, K., Laura Hallett and Peters, T. M., Evalua-tion of the alphasense optical particle counter (OPC-N2) and the grimm portable aerosol spectrometer (PAS-1.108). Aerosol Sci. Technol., 2016, 50(12), 1352–1365.

  • Cheng, Y.-H., Comparison of the TSI Model 8520 and Grimm Series 1.108 Portable Aerosol instruments used to monitor particu-late matter in an iron foundry. J. Occup. Environ. Hyg., 2008, 5(3), 157–168.

  • Burkart, J., Steiner, G., Reischl, G., Moshammer, H., Neuberger, M. and Hitzenberger, R., Characterizing the performance of two optical particle counters (Grimm OPC1.108 and OPC1.109) under urban aerosol conditions. J. Aerosol Sci., 2010, 41(10), S953–S962.

  • Meng, C., Tianhai, Cheng., Xingfa, Gu., Shuaiyi, Shi., Wannan, Wang., Yu, Wu. and Fangwen, Bao, Contribution of meteorologi-cal factors to particulate pollution during winters in Beijing. Sci. Total Environ., 2019, 656, 977–985.

  • Pani, S. K., Neng-Huei, Lin. and Saginela, R., Association of COVID-19 pandemic with meteorological parameters over Singa-pore. Sci. Total Environ., 2020, 740.

  • Draxler, R. R. and Hess, G. D., An overview of the HYSPLIT_4 modeling system of trajectories, dispersion, and deposition. Aust. Meteor. Mag., 1998, 47, 295–308.

  • Draxler, R. R., HYSPLIT4 user’s guide. NOAA Tech. Memo. ERL ARL-230, NOAA Air Resources Laboratory, Silver Spring, MD, 1999.

  • Giglio, L., Descloitres, J., Justice, C. O. and Kaufman, Y., An enhanced contextual fire detection algorithm for MODIS. Remote Sensing Environ., 2003, 87, 273–282.

  • Giglio, L., Schroeder, W. and Justice, C. O., The collection 6 MODIS active fire detection algorithm and fire products. Remote Sensing Environ., 2016, 78, 31–41.

  • Mahapatra, P. S. et al., Variation in black carbon mass concentra-tion over an urban site in the eastern coastal plains of the Indian sub-continent. Theor. Appl. Climatol., 2014, 117, 133–147.

  • Reddy, B. S. K. et al., Potential source regions contributing to seasonal variations of black carbon aerosols over Anantapur in Southeast India. Aerosol Air Qual. Res., 2012, 12, 344–358.

  • Cape, J. N., Coyle, M. and Dumitrean, P., The atmospheric life-time of black carbon. Atmos. Environ., 2012, 59, 256–263.

  • Wagner, S., Jaffe, R. and Stubbins, A., Dissolved black carbon in aquatic ecosystems. Limnol. Oceanogr., 2018, 3, 168–185.

  • Buseck, P. R., Adachi, K., Gelencsér, A., Tompa, É. and Pósfai, M., Are black carbon and soot the same? Atmos. Chem. Phys. Dis-cuss., 2012, 12(9), 24821–24846.

  • Venkataraman, C., Habib, G., Eiguren-Fernandez, A., Miguel, A. H. and Friedlander, S. K., Residential biofuels in South Asia: carbonaceous aerosol emissions and climate impacts. Science, 2005, 307(5714), 1456.

  • Sharma, S. et al., Effect of restricted emissions during COVID-19 on air quality in India. Sci. Total Environ., 2020, 728, 138878.

  • Jain, S. and Sharma, T., Social and travel lockdown impact con-sidering coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on air quality in mega-cities of India: present benefits, future challenges and way forward. Aerosol Air Qual. Res., 2020, 1222–1236.

  • Guttikunda, S. K., Nishadh, K. A. and Jawahar, P., Air pollution knowledge assessments (APnA) for 20 Indian cities. Urban Cli-mate, 2019, 27, 124–141.


Abstract Views: 414

PDF Views: 118




  • Variation Of Black Carbon And Particulate Matter In Bhubaneswar During The Pre-monsoon: Possible Impact Of Meteorology And COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract Views: 414  |  PDF Views: 118

Authors

Jyotishree Nath
Environment and Sustainability Department, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 013, India
Subhasmita Panda
Environment and Sustainability Department, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 013, India
Satya S. Patra
Environment and Sustainability Department, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 013, India
Boopathy Ramasamy
Environment and Sustainability Department, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 013, India
Trupti Das
Environment and Sustainability Department, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 013, India

Abstract


To combat the present COVID-19 pandemic, a coun-trywide lockdown (LD) was imposed in India from 25 March until 31 May 2020. This unique scenario brought a decline in various anthropogenic activities leading to a considerable decrease in the concentra-tion of several atmospheric pollutants. In this scenar-io, CSIR-IMMT Bhubaneswar carried out black carbon (BC), PM10 and PM2.5 analysis through optical and gravimetric measurements, respectively, during March-May 2020 followed by a comparison with pre-vious years (2017–2018) of observation. There was a reduction of ~33% in average overall BC concentra-tion along with a significant drop in PM10 (33%) (P < 0.05) and PM2.5 (~38%) (P < 0.05) during the entire LD period as compared to 2017–2018. During LD, contribution from biomass burning was enhanced by almost 3 times as compared to 2017–2018. Howev-er, the simultaneous meteorological variation during the LD period prevents clear distinction of the impact of lockdown on BC and PM.

Keywords


Black Carbon, Biomass Burning, Fossil Fuel, Lockdown, Particulate Matter.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv120%2Fi2%2F313-321