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Key Points: • First ever measurements with a high‐accuracy single‐particle soot photometer of black carbon (BC) concentrations in Arctic snowpack • Topography and BC emission flux strongly influenced latitudinal variations of mass concentrations and size distributions of BC • Measured BC mass concentrations 2–25 times lower than previously reported show the importance of revalidating climate models Black carbon (BC) deposited on snow lowers its albedo, potentially contributing to warming in the Arctic. Atmospheric distributions of BC and inorganic aerosols, which contribute directly and indirectly to radiative forcing, are also greatly influenced by depositions. To quantify these effects, accurate measurement of the spatial distributions of BC and ionic species representative of inorganic aerosols (ionic species hereafter) in snowpack in various regions of the Arctic is needed, but few such measurements are available. We measured mass concentrations of size-resolved BC (CMBC) and ionic species in snowpack by using a single-particle soot photometer and ion chromatography, respectively, over Finland, Alaska, Siberia, Greenland, and Spitsbergen during early spring in 2012–2016. Total BC mass deposited per unit area (DEPMBC) during snow accumulation periods was derived from CMBC and snow water equivalent (SWE). Our analyses showed that the spatial distributions of anthropogenic BC emission flux, total precipitable water, and topography strongly influenced latitudinal variations of CMBC, BC size distributions, SWE, and DEPMBC. The average size distributions of BC in Arctic snowpack shifted to smaller sizes with decreasing CMBC due to an increase in the removal efficiency of larger BC particles during transport from major sources. Our measurements of CMBC were lower by a factor of ~13 than previous measurements made with an Integrating Sphere/Integrating Sandwich spectrophotometer due mainly to interference from coexisting non-BC particles such as mineral dust. The SP2 data presented here will be useful for constraining climate models that estimate the effects of BC on the Arctic climate. Plain Language Summary Black carbon (BC) particles, commonly known as soot, are emitted from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. They efficiently absorb solar radiation and thus heat the atmosphere. BC particles emitted at midlatitudes and in the Arctic are deposited onto snow in the Arctic, accelerating snowmelt in early spring by absorbing solar radiation. These processes contribute to warming in the Arctic. Calculations of this warming effect by using numerical models need to be validated by comparison with observed BC concentrations in snowpack. However, there are very few accurate records of concentrations of BC in snow because of technical difficulties in making these measurements. We developed a new laser-induced incandescence technique to measure BC concentrations in snowpack and applied it for the first time in six Arctic regions (Finland, Alaska, North and South Siberia, Greenland, and Spitsbergen). The BC concentrations we measured were highest in Finland and South Siberia, which are closer to large anthropogenic BC sources than the other regions, where our measured BC concentrations were much lower. On average, our BC concentrations were much lower than those previously measured by different techniques. Therefore, previous comparisons of modeled and observed BC concentrations need to be re-evaluated using the present data.

Long-term measurements of black carbon (BC) aerosols by filter-based absorption photometers with a heated inlet (COSMOS) in different regions have been useful in elucidating spatial variati...

Vertical distribution of aerosols and their composition in the lower troposphere is critically important for assessing the Earth’s radiation budget and their impact on monsoon circulation. We combine the extinction coefficient, particulate depolarization ratio obtained from CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) for period of 11 years (2008-2018) over the Indian region to provide an unprecedented climatological overview of the physical and optical characteristics of quasi-aerosol layers and their source and formation mechanism throughout its annual life cycle in the free troposphere. The key findings includes: i)The quasi aerosol layer over the Indian region are found to be persistent between 4-6 km during all seasons and occasionally reach above 6 km and exhibited strong seasonal and regional dependency, ii) Layer thickness varies between 2.0 -3.0 km corresponds to primary peak are more frequent of about 80-90 % of cases over all six regions and while secondary layer occasionally forms (10-20 %), iii) The aerosol layer thickness increases by about 36.7 and 25% during summer and fall season compared to that of spring, and winter, iv) Layer-AOT showed year-to-year variations of up to a factor of two with a relative variability of about 15-23% (1σ), v) Trend in layer AOT is not very conspicuous and showed oscillatory pattern, vi) Depolarization ratios generally increase with height suggesting that the irregularity of aerosol shape increases with altitude, vii) The polluted dust and smoke are the major aerosol components of the observed quasi aerosol layer between 4 to 6 km for spring and fall season while these are the polluted dust during winter and summer.

Black carbon (BC) aerosol deposited in and onto Arctic snow increases the snow's absorption of solar radiation and accelerates snowmelt. Concentrations of BC in the Arctic atmosphere and snow are controlled by wet deposition; however, details of this process are poorly understood owing to the scarcity of time-resolved measurements of BC in hydrometeors. We measured mass concentrations of BC in hydrometeors (CMBC) and in air (MBC) with 16% and 15% accuracies, respectively, at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard during 2012–2019. Median monthly MBC and CMBC values showed similar seasonal variations, being high in winter-spring and low in summer. Median monthly BC wet deposition mass flux (FMBC) was highest in winter and lowest in summer, associated with seasonal patterns of CMBC and precipitation. Seasonally averaged BC size distributions in hydrometeors were similar except for summer. Measurements of MBC and CMBC in spring 2017 showed a size-independent removal efficiency, indicating that BC-containing particles were efficiently activated into cloud droplets. These observations at Ny-Ålesund were compared with observations at Barrow, Alaska, during 2013–2017. The near-surface MBC at Ny-Ålesund and Barrow had similar seasonal patterns; however, the two sites differed in CMBC and FMBC. In summer, CMBC was low at Ny-Ålesund but moderate at Barrow, likely reflecting differences in MBC in the lower troposphere. Seasonally averaged BC size distributions in hydrometeors were similar at both sites, suggesting that average BC size distributions are similar in the Arctic lower troposphere. The efficiency of BC removal tends to be size-independent during transport, leading to the observed similarity.

Ionospheric data assimilation method has been highly successful for forecasting spatial and temporal ionospheric variability. In this paper, an attempt is made to improve International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model predictions over Indian region using Kalman filter approach of data assimilation. To image the ionospheric vertical total electron content (VTEC) over the entire Indian geographical region the TEC observations from Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, GPS radio occultation ray paths and ionosonde datasets are utilized. The nonstationary background error covariance matrix and covariance localization are implemented including the solar and geomagnetic indices through multivariate principal component analysis (MPCA) method to obtain better ionospheric VTEC forecast. The proposed regional ionospheric VTEC model is named as Assimilated Indian Regional VerticAl TEC (AIRAVAT) model that generates forecast and analysis maps with 15 minutes of temporal resolution and 1° x 1° spatial resolution along 5° N to 40° N geographic latitudes and 65° E to 100° E geographic longitudes. The focus is to realize the variations in equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) structures over the Indian region during geomagnetic storm conditions. AIRAVAT Model behavior during a major geomagnetic storm day of solar cycle 24 i.e., 17th and 18th March 2015 are presented. International Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Service (IGS) stations at Hyderabad (HYDE), Lucknow (LCK4) and Lhasa (LHAZ) locations are considered as truth data for model validation.

The morphology, composition, and complex mixing states of aerosol are extremely important physico-chemical properties which are the major inputs to the optical/radiative models. Though, ground based observations of the said properties are abundant but the vertical profiles of the same are very much limited throughout the globe. The information on the vertical heterogeneity of the aforementioned properties over a polluted environment like Delhi will be very helpful to develop a better understanding of the thermodynamics of the lower atmosphere. In present study, we carried out a tethered balloon based field campaign in National Physical Laboratory (28° 38′ 10″ N, 77° 10′ 17″ E) from 21 to 27 February 2014 to explore the vertical distribution of the said properties. Based on the microscopic observations, the bubbly shaped sulfate particles number percentage is less (5%) on the ground, abundant (49%) on altitude 350 m. At 500 m altitude, particles were majorly of spiked shape with elongated dimension ∼ 3–4 μm. The number percentage of the aged fractals has been found to increase by 4% in the 100–350 m range against the ground observations. Based on the bulk composition of non-carbonaceous species, at 200 m altitude, we observed significant amount (74%) of the oxides of sulfur compared to that of ground observations (30%) that could be due to temperature inversion and air parcel movement from IGP (Indo Gangetic Plain). Various core-shell type particle configurations have been observed at different altitudes. At 200 m altitude, particles were majorly aged with anionic species (like S, Cl and HSO4) and cationic species (like C2H5). The bulk and individual particle level data generated over Delhi environment in this experiment may improve our understanding of boundary layer aerosol and could provide the scientific insights of their probable effects on low level cloud formation.

Measurement of particulate matter (PM) over an urban site with relatively high concentration of aerosol particles is critically important owing to its adverse health, environmental and climate impact. Here we present a 3 years' worth of measurements (January 2012 to December 2014) of PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm) and PM10 (aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm) along with meteorological parameters and seasonal variations at Bhubaneswar an urban-coastal site, in eastern India. The concentrations of PM were determined gravimetrically from the filter samples of PM2.5 and PM10. It revealed remarkable seasonal variations with winter values (55.0 ± 23.4 μg/m3; 147.3 ± 42.4 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and PM10, respectively) about 3.5 times higher than that in pre-monsoon (15.7 ± 6.2 μg/m3; 41.8 ± 15.3 μg/m3). PM2.5 and PM10 were well correlated while PM2.5/PM10 ratios were found to be 0.38 and 0.32 during winter and pre-monsoon, indicating the predominance of coarse particles, mainly originating from long range transport of pollutants from northern and western parts of India and parts of west Asia as well. Concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis revealed the IGP and North Western Odisha as the most potential sources of PM2.5 and PM10 during winter. The PM concentrations at Bhubaneswar were comparable with those at other coastal sites of India reported in the literature, but were lower than few polluted urban sites in India and Asia. Empirical model reproduced the observed seasonal variation of PM2.5 and PM10 very well over Bhubaneswar.

There is no agreed reference method for accurately determination of mixing layer height (MLH) in the existing literature. In part, this is due to different definitions of the atmospheric boundary layer exist, depending on the quantities and the physical processes invoked. In addition, MLH during late afternoon transition period is highly challenging to determine and perform model simulations because of the rapid variations in turbulent kinetic energy. For the first time, MLH has been determined at remote tropical site of Gadanki, India (13.45°N, 79.17°E, 360 masl) using ground-based elastic backscatter LiDAR (EBL). This article focuses on the late afternoon transition period and compares it with MLH obtained from the EBL to concurrent radiosonde (RS) observations [MLH (RS)] and numerical models. Five different techniques have been applied to the EBL backscatter profiles for the determination of MLH. The mean of the five methods agreed to within 15% with the RS-derived MLH under various synoptic co...

Long-term measurements of the light absorption coefficient (b(abs)) obtained with a particle soot absorption photometer (PSAP), b(abs) (PSAP), have been previously reported for Barrow, Alaska, and ...

Size-segregated aerosol vertical profiles in the troposphere are critically important for source attribution, transformation processes, atmospheric stability, and radiative forcing. For the first time, the development of a 6-stage impactor for real-time balloon-borne measurements of size-segregated (cutoff diameter [Dae]: 0.15–5 µm) aerosol mass concentrations in the free troposphere was tested during spring 2016 over Hyderabad, India, is presented. Total aerosol mass concentrations obtained with the 6-stage impactor (MTI) and a co-located optical particle counter (MTOPC) measurements at the surface under ambient conditions agreed to within 15%. The effect of aerosol particle growth on the MTI data are assessed using an urban aerosol particle model by scaling mass concentration of water-soluble (hydrophilic) aerosol particles at ambient relative humidity (RH) to that at RH = 50%. An overall uncertainty of the measurement of the MTI was estimated to be about 19%. The altitude variation of size-segregated mass concentrations of aerosol particles along with thermodynamic variables depicted convectively well-mixed layer extending up to about 4.5 km within which aerosol particles showed two distinct layers, one at ∼2 km and another at about 4.5 km. The size-resolved air samples containing aerosol particles collected using the balloon-borne 6-stage impactor will be useful for their chemical characterization and also long-range transport studies. Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research

This study is based on the analysis of the measurement of ozone and water vapor by airbus in-service aircraft (MOZAIC) data of vertical ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) over Hyderabad during November 2005–March 2009. Measurements in the upper troposphere show highest values of O3 (53–75 ppbv) and CO (80–110 ppbv) during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. The episodes of strong wind shears (>20 ms−1) were frequent during the monsoon/post-monsoon months, while weak shear conditions (

This study describes the spatio-temporal variation of vertical profiles of ozone (O3) measured by balloon-borne ozonesondes over two tropical sites of Trivandrum (TVM) and Hyderabad (HYD) in India from January 2009 to December 2010. In the lower troposphere, the mixing ratios of O3 over HYD (18–66 ppbv) were similar to TVM (18–65 ppbv). In the free troposphere, the O3 mixing ratios over HYD were higher than those over TVM throughout the year. In the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) region (above 15 km), the mixing ratios of O3 over TVM were higher (83–358 ppbv) compared to those measured over HYD (89–216 ppbv). Prevailing of O3 laminae between about 14 and 17 km is seen for both sites for most profiles. A strong seasonal variation of O3 is observed in the lower stratosphere between 18 and 24 km over TVM, however, it is not pronounced for HYD. Transport of air masses from the biomass burning region of the central Africa, Southeast Asia and the Indo Gangetic plains (IGP) influenced and led to enhancements of lower and mid-tropospheric O3 over HYD and TVM while, the isentropic (325 K) potential vorticity (PV) at 100 hPa showed transport of O3–rich air from the lower stratosphere to the upper troposphere during winter and spring months over both sites. The free tropospheric O3 mixing ratios (FT-O3; 0–4 km) contribute substantially to the tropospheric column O3 (TCO) with an annual average fraction of 30% and reveal the similar seasonal variations over HYD and TVM. The vertical profiles of O3 obtained from the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate - Interim Implementation (MACC-II) reanalysis and the Meteorological Research Institute-Chemistry Climate Model version 2 (MRI-CCM2) are compared with the ozonesonde data over both sites. The simulated magnitude, phase and vertical gradient of O3 from both MRI-CCM2 and MACC-II are in good agreement with measurements in the stratosphere while there are significant differences in the tropospheric columns.

Atmospheric aerosols over south Asia constitute a major environmental and climate issue. Thus, extensive land and cruise campaigns have been conducted over the area focusing on investigating the aerosol properties and climate implications. Except from the ground-based instrumentation, several studies dealt with analyzing the aerosol properties from space, focusing mainly on the spatial distribution of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and possible feedbacks of aerosols on the monsoon system. However, except from some works using ground-based instrumentation or satellite observations over a specific region, there is lack of studies dealing with monitoring of the aerosol trend over south Asia. The present work analyzes the variations and trends in aerosol load over south Asia using Terra-MODIS AOD550 data in the period 2000–2009. Overall, an increasing trend of 10.17 % in AOD is found over whole south Asia, which exhibits large spatio-temporal variation. More specifically, the AOD550 increasing trend is more pronounced in winter, and especially over northern India. The present study shows an evidence of a decreasing AOD550 trend over the densely-populated Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) during the period April–September, which has never been reported before. This decreasing trend is not statistically significant and leads to an AOD change of −0.01 per year in June, when the dust activity is at its maximum. The AOD decrease seems to be attributed to weakness of dust activity in the northwest of India, closely associated with expansion of the vegetated areas and increase in precipitation over the Thar desert. Similarly, GOCART simulations over south Asia show a pronounced decreasing trend in dust AOD in accordance with MODIS. However, much more analysis and longer dataset are required for establishing this evidence.

We describe and show results from a series of field campaigns that used balloonborne instruments launched from India and Saudi Arabia during the summers 2014–17 to study the nature, formation, and impacts of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL). The campaign goals were to i) characterize the optical, physical, and chemical properties of the ATAL; ii) assess its impacts on water vapor and ozone; and iii) understand the role of convection in its formation. To address these objectives, we launched 68 balloons from four locations, one in Saudi Arabia and three in India, with payload weights ranging from 1.5 to 50 kg. We measured meteorological parameters; ozone; water vapor; and aerosol backscatter, concentration, volatility, and composition in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region. We found peaks in aerosol concentrations of up to 25 cm–3 for radii > 94 nm, associated with a scattering ratio at 940 nm of ∼1.9 near the cold-point tropopause. During medium-duration balloon flights near the tropopause, we collected aerosols and found, after offline ion chromatography analysis, the dominant presence of nitrate ions with a concentration of about 100 ng m–3. Deep convection was found to influence aerosol loadings 1 km above the cold-point tropopause. The Balloon Measurements of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (BATAL) project will continue for the next 3–4 years, and the results gathered will be used to formulate a future National Aeronautics and Space Administration–Indian Space Research Organisation (NASA–ISRO) airborne campaign with NASA high-altitude aircraft.

Long-term trends in surface-level particulate matter of dynamic diameter ≤2 µm PM2 in regard to air quality observations over Greater Hyderabad Region GHR, India are estimated by the synergy of ground-based measurements and satellite observations during the period 2001–2013 satellite and July 2009–Dec 2013 ground-based. Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer MODIS-derived aerosol optical thickness AOT MODIS-AOTs was validated against that measured from Microtops-II Sunphotometer MTS AOTs MTS-AOTs and then utilized to estimate surface-level PM2 concentrations over GHR using regression analysis between MODIS-AOTs, MTS-AOTs, and measured PM2. In general, the MODIS-estimated PM2 concentrations fell within the uncertainty of the measurements, thus allowing the estimate of PM2 from MODIS, although in some cases they differed significantly due to vertical heterogeneity in aerosol distribution and the presence of distinct elevated aerosol layers of different origin and characteristics. Furthermore, significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the AOT and PM2 estimates is observed in urban environments, especially during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons, which reduces the accuracy of the PM2 estimates from MODIS. The estimates of PM2 using MTS or MODIS-AOT exhibit a root mean square deference RMSD of about 8–16% against measured PM2 on a seasonal basis. Furthermore, a tendency of increasing PM2 concentrations is observed, which however is difficult to quantify for urban areas due to uncertainties in PM2 estimations and gaps in the data set. Examination of surface and columnar aerosol concentrations, along with meteorological parameters from radiosonde observations on certain days, reveals that changes in local emissions and boundary-layer dynamics, and the presence or arrival of distinct aerosol plumes aloft, are major concerns in the accurate estimation of PM2 from MODIS, while the large spatial distribution of aerosol and pollutants in the urban environment makes such estimates a considerable challenge.

The influence of lightning over surface-level trace gases was examined for pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons in the year 2012. Lightning events were measured using ground-based electric field monitor (EFM) and space-based lightning imaging sensor (LIS). The results showed that lightning frequency was higher during pre-monsoon period compared to monsoon, which is in good agreement with the satellite retrievals. The increase in concentration of NOx on lightning event led to a subsequent decrease in surface O3 due to the titration reaction. Source apportionment study of SO2/NOx (S/N) and CO/NOx (C/N) ratios and poor correlation of NOx vs CO and NOx vs SO2 on the lightning day confirmed the emission of NOx from dissimilar sources.

The chemistry and variation in light molecular weight (C2–C5) volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NO x = NO + NO2) over the formation of tropospheric ozone (O3) was studied for a time period of 1 year (2013) at a tropical urban site located in Deccan plateau region of Hyderabad, India, with semi-arid climate. Diel pattern of hydrocarbons showed maxima in the morning and night and minima in the afternoon. Ethylene and propylene showed relatively larger diurnal amplitude than other hydrocarbons. Among the analyzed hydrocarbons, acetylene was the most abundant with an annual mean of 5.5 ± 1.3 ppbv. All the VOCs exhibited a seasonal variation with monsoon and summer minimum and winter maximum. Ozone formation potentials (OFP) and propylene-equivalents (propy-equiv.) were calculated to account the contribution of individual hydrocarbons towards formation of O3. Propylene had the highest contribution of propy-equiv. (34 %) and OFP (28.4 %) among the VOCs observed. The concentrations of VOCs and their reactivity with hydroxyl radicals played a significant role on the levels of propy-equiv. and OFP. Strong correlations 0.65 and 0.77 were observed between O3 vs. propy-equiv. and O3 vs. OFP, respectively. The crossover point relationship between NO x , VOCs, and O3 showed enhancement of O3 at lower levels and decreased at higher levels of NO x in the range of VOCs concentrations studied. Among hydrocarbons, propylene (10) and ethane (6.5) showed the highest and lowest crossover points, respectively.

Increasing concentration of tropospheric ozone (O3) is a serious air pollution problem faced commonly by the urban people. The present study emphasizes on variations of air pollutant concentrations viz., O3, nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and black carbon (BC) at a tropical urban site located in the Deccan plateau region with semi-arid climate. The air monitoring site revealed typical diurnal/seasonal trends attributing to the complex chemistry of surface O3 formation from its precursors. Role of SO2 in the formation of free radical ( $$ {\text{HO}}_{2}^{ \cdot } $$ ) and its impact on O3 concentration is distinguished part of the study. The results showed the highest mean O3 in summer (57.5 ± 15.2 ppbv) followed by winter and monsoon. Observations of BC aerosols showed the highest mean value during winter (8.2 ± 2 μg m−3) and the lowest in monsoon (4.2 ± 1 μg m−3). Besides local influences, long-range transport of air masses were also studied by simulating back trajectories at different elevations during the study period. Furthermore, statistical analysis and modeling was performed with both linear (regression) and nonlinear (neural network) methods.

The present study focuses on identifying the main atmospheric circulation characteristics associated with aerosol episodes (AEs) over Kanpur, India during the period 2001–2010. In this respect, mean sea level pressure (MSLP) and geopotential height of 700 hPa (Z700) data obtained from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Project were used along with daily Terra-MODIS AOD550 data. The analysis identifies 277 AEs [AOD500 > $$ \overline{AOD} $$ 500 + 1STDEV (standard deviation)] over Kanpur corresponding to 13.2 % of the available AERONET dataset, which are seasonally distributed as 12.5, 9.1, 14.7 and 18.6 % for winter (Dec–Feb), pre-monsoon (Mar–May), monsoon (Jun–Sep) and post-monsoon (Oct–Nov), respectively. The post-monsoon and winter AEs are mostly related to anthropogenic emissions, in contrast to pre-monsoon and monsoon episodes when a significant component of dust is found. The multivariate statistical methods Factor and Cluster Analysis are applied on the dataset of the AEs days’ Z700 patterns over south Asia, to group them into discrete clusters. Six clusters are identified and for each of them the composite means for MSLP and Z700 as well as their anomalies from the mean 1981–2010 climatology are studied. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of Terra-MODIS AOD550 over Indian sub-continent is examined to identify aerosol hot-spot areas for each cluster, while the SPRINTARS model simulations reveal incapability in reproducing the large anthropogenic AOD, suggesting need of further improvement in model emission inventories. This work is the first performed over India aiming to analyze and group the atmospheric circulation patterns associated with AEs over Indo-Gangetic Plains and to explore the influence of meteorology on the accumulation of aerosols.

Time variability of black carbon (BC) aerosols over different timescales (daily, weekly and annual) is studied over a tropical urban location Hyderabad in India using seven channel portable Aethalometer. The results for the 2-year period (January 2009–December 2010) show a daily-mean BC variability from ~1.00±0.12 µg m−3 to 12.50±3.06 µg m−3, with a remarkable annual pattern of winter high and monsoon low. The BC values maximize during winter (December–January), ~6.67±0.22 µg m−3, and drop during summer (June–August), ~2.36±0.09 µg m−3, which establishes a large seasonal variation. Furthermore, the BC mass concentration exhibits a well-defined diurnal variation, with a morning peak and early afternoon minimum. The magnitude of the diurnal variations is seasonal dependent, which maximizes during the winter months. Air mass back trajectories indicated several different transport pathways, while the concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis reveals that the most important potential sources for BC aerosols are the Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP), central India and some hot spots in Pakistan, Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf. The absorbing Angstrom exponent (αabs) estimated from the spectral values of absorption coefficient (σabs) ranges from 0.9 to 1.1 indicating high BC/OC ratio typical of fossil fuel origin. The annual average BC mass fraction to composite aerosols is found to be (10±3) % contributing to the atmospheric forcing by (55±10) %. The BC radiative forcing at the atmosphere shows strong seasonal dependency with higher values in winter (33.49±7.01) and spring (31.78±12.89) and moderate in autumn (18.94±6.71) and summer (13.15±1.66). The BC radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) is positive in all months, suggesting an overall heating of the regional climate over Hyderabad.

Atmospheric aerosols over India exhibit large spatio-temporal fluctuation driven by the local monsoon system, emission rates and seasonally-changed air masses. The northern part of India is well-known for its high aerosol loading throughout the year due to anthropogenic emissions, dust influence and biomass burning. On certain circumstances and, under favorable weather conditions, the aerosol load can be severe, causing significant health concerns and climate implications. The present work analyzes the aerosol episode (AE) days and examines the modification in aerosol properties and radiative forcing during the period 2001-2010 based on Kanpur-AERONET sun photometer data. As AEs are considered the days having daily-mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) above the decadal mean + 1 STD (standard deviation); the threshold value is defined at 0.928. The results identify 277 out of 2095 days (13.2%) of AEs over Kanpur, which are most frequently observed during post-monsoon (78 cases, 18.6%) and monsoon (76, 14.7%) seasons due to biomass-burning episodes and dust influence, respectively. On the other hand, the AEs in winter and pre-monsoon are lower in both absolute and percentage values (65, 12.5% and 58, 9.1%, respectively). The modification in aerosol properties on the AE days is strongly related to season. Thus, in post-monsoon andmore » winter the AEs are associated with enhanced presence of fine-mode aerosols and Black Carbon from anthropogenic pollution and any kind of burning, while in pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons they are mostly associated with transported dust. Aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) calculated using SBDART shows much more surface (~-69 to -97 Wm-2) and Top of Atmosphere cooling (-20 to -30 Wm-2) as well as atmospheric heating (~43 to 71 Wm-2) during the AE days compared to seasonal means. These forcing values are mainly controlled by the higher AODs and the modified aerosol characteristics (Angstrom α, SSA) during the AE days in each season and may cause severe climate implications over Ganges Basin with further consequences on atmospheric heating, cloud microphysics, monsoon rainfall and melting of Himalayan glaciers.« less

[1] One year measurement of vertical profiles of volume backscatter and extinction coefficient, aerosol optical depth (AOD), mass concentration of black carbon (BC) and composite aerosol along with thermodynamic structure of the atmosphere has been carried out over an urban tropical location of Hyderabad(17.47°N, 78.58°E), India, during April 2009 to March 2010. The mean mixing layer height (MLH) exhibits large seasonality exceeding 4 km in pre-monsoon period whereas in winter it comes down to ~1.5 km with an annual mean value of 2.35 ± 1.02 km. Surface BC mass fraction (FBC) shows marked seasonal variation from winter (13 ± 1.9%), pre-monsoon (8.19 ± 2.16%), monsoon (7.3 ± 1.8%) to post-monsoon (11.8 ± 0.18%). The profiles of volume backscatter and extinction coefficients reveal presence of elevated aerosol layers from 2 to 4 km and strong oscillations during pre-monsoon (March–May) and monsoon (June–September) seasons, respectively, while in post-monsoon (October–November) and winter (December–February), the aerosols are well within the lower boundary layer and also exhibit a drastic decrease with increasing altitude. These elevated aerosol layers and vertical distribution appear to be closely linked to the thermodynamic structure of the atmosphere. The aerosol optical properties in conjunction with air mass back trajectory analysis indicate that the observed elevated aerosol layers during pre-monsoon and monsoon could contain significant fraction of coarse mode particles with a mix of dust and marine aerosols. Further analysis reveals that the aerosols within atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) dominate the column aerosol loading with ABL-AOD contributing to ~77.7 ± 17.0%, with significant seasonal variation from winter (86.2 ± 13.1%), pre-monsoon (76.6 ± 12.8%), monsoon (54.2 ± 15.6%) to post monsoon (80.8 ± 14.8%). Seasonal variation of ABL-AOD and BC mass fraction follows similar pattern in the ABL indicating that BC may be an important contributor to the ABL aerosol loading.

In this study, temporal variations of surface ozone (O3) were investigated at tropical urban site of Hyderabad during the year 2009. O3, oxides of nitrogen (NOx = NO + NO2), black carbon (BC), and meteorological parameters were continuously monitored at the established air monitoring station. Results revealed the production of surface O3 from NO2 through photochemical oxidation. Averaged datasets illustrated the variations in ground-level concentrations of these air pollutants along different time scales. Maximum mean concentrations of O3 (56.75 ppbv) and NOx (8.9 ppbv) were observed in summer. Diurnal-seasonal changes in surface O3 and NOx concentrations were explicated with complex atmospheric chemistry, boundary layer dynamics, and local meteorology. In addition, nocturnal chemistry of NOx played a decisive role in the formation of O3 during day time. Mean BC mass concentration in winter (10.92 µg m−3) was high during morning hours. Heterogeneous chemistry of BC on O3 destruction and NOx formation was elucidated. Apart from these local observations, long-range transport of trace gases and BC aerosols were evidenced from air mass back trajectories. Further, statistical modeling was performed to predict O3 using multi-linear regression method, which resulted in 91% of the overall variance.

A single channel elastic-backscatter lidar system was developed in-house at National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, an institution under Department of Space and Government of India, for studies on boundary layer dynamics during convective periods. The developed lidar system operates at the second harmonic wavelength of Nd: YAG laser and uses biaxial configuration. The lidar system utilizes a mini PMT for detecting laser returns from the atmosphere and operates in the analogue mode of data acquisition. The analogue recorder operates at 20 MHz sampling and uses a 12 bit A to D converter. The lidar system capable to operate at a maximum vertical resolution 7.5 m and 1-sec time sampling. However, in the present study, the lidar was operated with 30 m vertical resolution and 30-sec time sampling to understand the boundary layer dynamics during convective periods. The lidar measurements conducted between January and March 2014 were used in the present study. The laser backscatters obtained at 532 nm wavelength were corrected for noise and range before application of above mentioned analytical methods. This study presents evaluation of mixed layer height (MLH) from lidar using different analytical methods such as gradient, variance and wavelet techniques and presentation of inter-comparison between methods to achieve suitable method for assessment of MLH. The estimated MLH is then compared with the simultaneous radiosonde observations and empirical model values. We computed the MLH growth rates and observed that a significant enhancement was seen during the transition from winter to pre-monsoon period which could be attributed to increased convective activity over the tropical site. We present the lidar measurements and discuss the MLH retrieval and growth rates over Gadanki using lidar measurements.

Sudden blockage of the solar radiation during the eclipse leads to both prompt and delayed effects on both the stratospheric and the tropospheric ozone. In this paper we present the in-situ measurements of vertical distribution of ozone made by ozonesondes during the annular solar eclipse of January 15, 2010 from Thiruvananthapuram (8.53°N, 76.87°E). Concurrent measurement of various atmospheric parameters, columnar ozone and UV radiation were also made from ground. The column ozone showed a large decrease matching well with the maximum phase of the eclipse. A systematic decrease in the ozone concentration observed in the stratosphere. A formation of double mixed layer inversion was also observed at ∼2 km on the eclipse day. The eclipse was manifested from the space and captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua satellites.

Regular measurements of spectral Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at ten wavelengths, obtained from multi-wavelength radiometer (MWR) under cloudless conditions in the outskirts of the tropical urban region of Hyderabad, India for the period January 2008 to December 2009, are examined. In general, high AOD with a coarse-mode abundance is seen during the pre-monsoon (March to May) and summer monsoon (June to September) with flat AOD spectra and low Angstrom wavelength exponent (α), while in post-monsoon (October–November) and winter (December–February) seasons, fine-mode dominance and steep AOD spectra are the basic features. The aerosol columnar size distribution (CSD) retrieved from the spectral AOD using King's inversion showed bimodal size distributions for all the seasons, except for the monsoon, with an accumulation-mode radius at 0.12–0.25 µm and a coarse-mode one at 0.86–1.30 µm. On the other hand, the CSD during the monsoon follows the power law for fine mode and the unimodal distribution for coarse mode. The fine-mode aerosols during post-monsoon and winter appear to be associated with air masses from continental India, while the coarse-mode particles during pre-monsoon and monsoon with air masses originating from west Asia and western India. The single-scattering albedo (SSA) calculated using the OPAC model varied from 0.83 ± 0.05 in winter to 0.91 ± 0.01 during the monsoon, indicating significant absorption by aerosols due to larger black carbon mixing ratio in winter, whereas a significant contribution of sea-salt in the monsoon season leads to higher SSAs. Aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) calculated using SBDART shows pronounced monthly variability at the surface, top of atmosphere (TOA) and within the atmosphere due to large variations in AOD and SSA. In general, larger negative ARF values at the surface (−65 to −80 W m−2) and TOA (∼−17 W m−2) are observed during the pre-monsoon and early monsoon, while the atmospheric heating is higher (∼50–70 W m−2) during January-April resulting in heating rates of ∼1.6–2.0 K day−1. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society

The surface level ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO2 + NO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), black carbon (BC) and meteorological parameters were continuously monitored for the period of one year (2010) at an urban site in Hyderabad using different trace gas monitors. The local emissions and meteorology have been found to play a significant role in diurnal variations of O3. The average peak time mixing ratios of O3 were observed in the range of 23 ± 8 to 67 ± 13 ppbv. Diurnalseasonal variation of O3 and its precursors were also reported. The observed O3 concentrations were higher during the day than in the night. Maximum O3 concentrations in the three seasons i.e., summer, winter and monsoon were 56 ± 14 ppbv, 50 ± 9 ppbv, and 28 ± 10 ppbv, respectively. Weekday/weekend variation of O3 and its precursors were studied during the three seasons. High O3 concentrations were observed on weekends compared to weekdays, however, NOx and BC levels were found low during weekends. The weekend effect of O3 was high during winter. The annual average afternoon peak time O3 levels on weekends were 11% higher than the weekday concentrations. Weekday/weekend variations of NOx at morning traffic rush hour were 14%, 9% and 8% in winter, summer and monsoon, respectively. The annual mean of NOx and BC concentrations at weekend were observed to be lower than weekday about 10% and 9% respectively. VOC/NOx ratio is more (5) during weekend than weekday (4) which resulted in enhanced O3 formation.

This work examines the aerosol physical properties and size distribution measured in the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL) over entire Bay of Bengal (BoB) and Northern Indian Ocean (NIO) during the Winter Integrated Campaign on Aerosols, Gases and Radiation Budget (W-ICARB). The measurements were taken using the GRIMM optical particle counter from 27th December 2008 to 30th January 2009. The results show large spatial heterogeneities regarding both the total aerosol number concentrations ( N T ) and the size distributions over BoB, which in turn indicates the variations in the source strength or advection from different regions. The aerosol number size distribution seems to be bi-modal in the 72% of the cases and can also be parameterized by uni-modal or by a combination of power-law and uni-modal distributions for the rest of the cases. The mode radius for accumulation and coarse-mode particles ranges from ∼0.1–0.2 μm and ∼0.6–0.8 μm, respectively. In the northern BoB and along the Indian coast, the aerosols are mainly of sub-micron size with effective radius ( R eff ) ranging between 0.25 and 0.3 μm highlighting the strong anthropogenic influence, while in the open oceanic areas they are much higher (0.4–0.6 μm). It was also found that the sea-surface wind plays a considerable role in the super-micron number concentration, R eff and mode radius for coarse-mode aerosols. Using the relation between N T and columnar AOD from Terra and Aqua-MODIS we found that the majority of the aerosols are within the lower MABL, while in some areas vertical heterogeneities also exist.

Ship-borne observations of spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) have been carried out over the entire Bay of Bengal (BoB) as part of the W-ICARB cruise campaign during the period 27 December 2008–30 January 2009. The results reveal a pronounced temporal and spatial variability in the optical characteristics of aerosols mainly due to anthropogenic emissions and their dispersion controlled by local meteorology. The highest aerosol amount, with mean AOD500>0.4, being even above 1.0 on specific days, is found close to the coastal regions in the western and northern parts of BoB. In these regions the Ångström exponent is also found to be high (~1.2–1.25) indicating transport of strong anthropogenic emissions from continental regions, while very high AOD500 (0.39±0.07) and α380–870 values (1.27±0.09) are found over the eastern BoB. Except from the large α380–870 values, an indication of strong fine-mode dominance is also observed from the AOD curvature, which is negative in the vast majority of the cases, suggesting dominance of an anthropogenic-pollution aerosol type. On the other hand, clean maritime conditions are rather rare over the region, while the aerosol types are further examined through a classification scheme based on the relationship between α and dα. It was found that even for the same α values the fine-mode dominance is larger for higher AODs showing the strong continental influence over the marine environment of BoB. Furthermore, there is also an evidence of aerosol-size growth under more turbid conditions indicative of coagulation and/or humidification over specific BoB regions. The results obtained using OPAC model show significant fraction of soot aerosols (~6 %–8 %) over the eastern and northwestern BoB, while coarse-mode sea salt particles are found to dominate in the southern parts of BoB.

The first ever in-situ measurements of size-segregated vertical profiles of aerosol in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) over the Bay of Bengal (BoB), made at five different locations during the winter Integrated Campaign of Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (W_ICARB) experiment is presented which showed large spatial variability in aerosol properties over BoB with high aerosol concentration over northern BoB (>500 cm −3 ) and low aerosol concentration (≤100 cm −3 ) over southern BoB with a moderate aerosol concentration (250–450 cm −3 ) over far east BoB. The altitude variation of aerosol number density is found to be steady in the convective boundary layer (up to ∼400 m) at all locations over BoB and above that the aerosol concentration is found to decrease, except at far eastern BoB. Over far eastern BoB, the altitude distribution of aerosol number concentration showed an increase at ∼600 m. Examination of the simultaneous air mass back trajectories along with the observations aerosol size distribution indicates that while the aerosols advected from IGP have a strong natural (coarse mode) component where as those from the east-Asia region are in general accumulation mode (anthropogenic) dominant.

Home range and food habits of tigers ( Panthera tigris tigris) were studied in Sariska Tiger Reserve from July 2008 to June 2009. Three tigers (one male and two females) were radio-collared and reintroduced in Sariska Tiger Reserve from Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Western India during 2008-2009. The reintroduced tigers were monitored periodically through ground tracking using “triangulation and homing in techniques.” The estimated annual home ranges were 168.6 km2and 181.4 km2for tiger and tigress-1 respectively. The estimated summer home range of tigress-2 was 223.4 km2. In total, 115 kills and 103 scats of tigers were collected to study the food habits. The line transect method was used to estimate the prey availability. The density of peafowl ( Pavo cristatus) was found to be highest (125.2 ± 15.3/ km2) in Sariska followed by livestock ( Bubalis bubalis and Bos indicus) (59.9 ± 22.3/ km2), chital ( Axis axis) (46.7 ± 9.5/ km2), sambar ( Rusa unicolor) (26.2 ± 4.9/ km2), common langur ( Semnopithecus entellus) (22.8 ± 6.5/ km2), nilgai ( Boselaphus tragocamelus) (19.5 ± 3.3/ km2) and wild pig ( Sus scrofa) (15.4 ± 4.4/ km2). Tigers fed on seven prey species as shown by kill data. Tigers' scat analysis revealed the presence of five prey species. Prey selection by tigers based on scat analysis was in the following order: sambar> chital> nilgai> livestock> common langur. It is proposed to restock the tiger population initially with five tigers in Sariska and subsequent supplementation of two tigers every three years for a period of six years, which will allow the population to achieve demographic viability. Removal of anthropogenic pressure from the national park will be crucial for the long term survival of tigers in Sariska.

SUMMARY Recognising that protected areas are key to conserving biodiversity, India has established a network of protected areas covering approximately 4.8 percent of its geographical area. Though India has set aside sizable areas for conservation, the goal of ensuring protection to the full range of its rich biodiversity is yet to be realised. Moreover, new approaches to conservation have occasionally been implemented to fulfill global and national-level commitments. This paper examines the constraints involved in bringing the entire range of biodiversity under the network of protected area, the challenges in managing them, and the effectiveness of the various approaches adopted. Learning from past experiences and to overcome deficiencies in protected area management, efforts are now being made to implement livelihood-based approaches to conservation on large landscapes. This is expected to address socio-economic issues alongside the varied ecological requirements of the country's rich biodiversity and su...

The effect of feeding Lactobacillus casei in the form of fermented and non-fermented milk on non-specific as well as humoral immune response in mice was investigated. Feeding of L. casei fermented milk (LcF), its cell free supernatant (LcS), and L. casei non-fermented milk (LcNF) to mice for period of two, five and eight days resulted in increased activity of β-galactosidase and β-glucuronidase in peritoneal macrophages in comparison to skim milk (control). The phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages also increased significantly (p

Macaques live in close contact with humans across South and Southeast Asia, and direct interaction is frequent. Aggressive contact is a concern in many locations, particularly among populations of rhesus and longtail macaques that co-inhabit urbanized cities and towns with humans. We investigated the proximate factors influencing the occurrence of macaque aggression toward humans as well as human aggression toward macaques to determine the extent to which human behavior elicits macaque aggression and vice versa. We conducted a 3-month study of four free-ranging populations of rhesus macaques in Dehradun, India from October-December 2012, using event sampling to record all instances of human-macaque interaction (N = 3120). Our results show that while human aggression was predicted by the potential for economic losses or damage, macaque aggression was influenced by aggressive or intimidating behavior by humans as well as recent rates of conspecific aggression. Further, adult female macaques participated in aggression more frequently than expected, whereas adult and subadult males participated as frequently as expected. Our analyses demonstrate that neither human nor macaque aggression is unprovoked. Rather, both humans and macaques are responding to one another's behavior. Mitigation of human-primate conflict, and indeed other types of human-wildlife conflict in such coupled systems, will require a holistic investigation of the ways in which each participant is responding to, and consequently altering, the behavior of the other.

This study is based on the analysis of Measurement of Ozone and Water Vapor by Airbus In-Service Aircraft (MOZAIC) data measured over Hyderabad, India during the years 2006-2008. Tropospheric profiles of O3 show clear seasonality with high and low values during the premonsoon and monsoon seasons, respectively. Analysis of back trajectory and fire count data indicates major roles for long-range transport and biomass burning in the seasonal variation of O3. Typically, lower levels of O3 in the monsoon season were due to the flow of marine air and negligible regional biomass burning, while higher levels in other seasons were due to transport of continental air. In the upper troposphere, relatively low levels of O3 during the monsoon and postmonsoon seasons were associated with deep convection. In the free troposphere, levels of O3 also show year-to-year variability as the values in the premonsoon of 2006 were higher by about 30 ppbv compared to 2008. The year-to-year variations were mainly due to transition from El Ni�o (2006) to La Ni�a (2008). The higher and lower levels of O 3 were associated with strong and weak wind shears, respectively. Typically, vertical variations of O3 were anticorrelated with the lapse rate profile. The lower O3 levels were observed in the stable layers, but higher values in the midtroposphere were caused by long-range transport. In the PBL region, the mixing ratio of O3 shows strong dependencies on meteorological parameters. The Chemistry Climate Model (CCM2) reasonably reproduced the observed profiles of O3 except for the premonsoon season. � 2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

This chapter provides firsthand information on the reintroduction of tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve. The first author was actively involved in the planning and operation of the revival of tigers at Sariska conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, India, in collaboration with the Department of Forests and Environment, Government of Rajasthan. After the extermination of tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) in 2004, WII’s report entitled “Status of tiger in STR” strongly suggested reintroduction of tigers in Sariska with a simulation of the population growth pattern of the proposed reintroduced stock to establish self-sustaining population with high reproductive fitness in the wild environment and ample genetic diversity. A suggestion to translocate an initial population of a total of five tigers (two males and three females) from Ranthambhore National Park (RNP) was made, with a supplementation of three tigers (one male and three females) in every three years for a period of six years. Accordingly, in December 2005, a “Species Recovery Plan for Tigers” in STR was prepared. An adult tiger and tigress were chemically immobilized, fitted with radio collars (VHF–satellite) and translocated from RNP to STR on 28th June and 4th of July 2008 respectively, and were kept in 1-ha enclosure. The tiger was released into the wild after eight days of observation on 6th July 2008, while the tigress was released on 8th July 2008 after three days of observation. On 26th February 2009, a female tigress was released. All these big cats are being monitored continuously for home ranges, feeding behavior, and reproduction through ground tracking using “homing in technique” and also through satellite tracking.