Aerosol physical characteristics at Bhubaneswar, East coast of India

Physical characterization of atmospheric aerosols was carried out using various equipments like Grimm's spectrophotometer, Aetholometer and Microtops-II at Bhubaneswar, a coastal city in the east coast of India. Meteorological parameters were recorded on-line with an automatic weather station, which showed weather relatively free from extreme events with high humidity during the period. The pre-monsoon months showed an increase in aerosol mass in the higher size ranges. The black carbon (BC) showed maximum values during winter which may be due to various anthropogenic activities like biomass burning and forest fire as well as dry conditions conducive to transport from far off places. The α values representing aerosol size distribution and β values showing the total aerosol concentration in vertical air column rose simultaneously in pre-monsoon months to attain maximum values during February–March 2008. The AOD was also correlated with PM-10 and BC concentrations.