Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6343539 | Atmospheric Research | 2014 | 43 Pages |
Abstract
In a first of its kind study over the Indian region, concurrent and extensive measurements of black carbon (BC) concentration and atmospheric boundary layer parameters are used to quantify the role of atmospheric boundary layer in producing temporal changes in BC. During this study, 18 months (2011-12) data of continuous measurements of BC aerosols, made over a semi-urban location, Nagpur, in Central India are used along with concurrent measurements of vertical profiles of atmospheric thermodynamics, made using weekly ascents of GPS aided Radiosonde for a period of 1 year. From the balloon data, mixed layer heights and ventilation coefficients are estimated, and the monthly and seasonal changes in BC mass concentration are examined in the light of the boundary layer changes. Seasonally, the BC mass concentration was highest (~ 4573 ± 1293 ng mâ 3) in winter (December-February), and lowest (~ 1588 ± 897 ng mâ 3) in monsoon (June-September), while remained moderate (~ 3137 ± 1446 ng mâ 3) in pre-monsoon (March-May), and post-monsoon (~ 3634 ± 813 ng mâ 3) (October-November) seasons. During the dry seasons, when the rainfall is scanty or insignificantly small, the seasonal variations in BC concentrations have a strong inverse relationship with mixed layer height and ventilation coefficient. However, the lowest BC concentrations do not occur during the season when the mixed layer height (MLH) is highest or the ventilation coefficient is the highest; rather it occurs when the rainfall is strong (during summer monsoon season) and airmass changes to primarily of marine origin.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Atmospheric Science
Authors
Sobhan Kumar Kompalli, S. Suresh Babu, K. Krishna Moorthy, M.R. Manoj, N.V.P. Kiran Kumar, K. Hareef Baba Shaeb, Ashok Kumar Joshi,