Publication Date:
2014-12-05
Description:
The dominant sources of black carbon (BC) in South Asia and surrounding regions are inferred during March–May 2006 (Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, Gases and Radiation Budget, ICARB) period by introducing BC tracers in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled with Chemistry. The model reproduced the magnitude, temporal and spatial variability of BC distribution observed during the ICARB ship-cruise. Average and SD (representing the spatial and temporal variability) in observed and modeled BC mass concentrations along the ship-track are estimated as 755 ± 734 and 732 ± 913 ng m−3 respectively. Average modeled values at most of the inland stations were also found to fall within the range of observed values. Model results show that ICARB measurements were fairly well representative of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal during the pre-monsoon season. Results show that anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions, respectively, accounted for 70 and 28 % of the average ± SD BC mass concentration (1480 ± 5920 ng m−3) in South Asia. BC emissions from residential (49 %) and industrial (37 %) sectors appear to be the major anthropogenic sources, except in the Himalayas where vehicular emissions dominated. We find that, while all parts of continental India contributed to anthropogenic BC over the Bay of Bengal, contribution over the Arabian Sea came mostly from southern Peninsula. We also show that regional-scale transport of anthropogenic emissions contribute up to 30 % of BC mass concentrations in western and eastern India, suggesting that it is important to consider non-local sources along with the local emissions while designing strategies for mitigating BC emissions.
Electronic ISSN:
1680-7375
Topics:
Geosciences
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