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Ozone variability, its formation potential and crops losses in the himalayan foothills

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Abstract

Surface ozone observations in Doon Valley (Dehradun: 30.3oN, 78.0oE, 700 m), which acts as a bridge between the Himalayas and the Indo-Gangetic Plain, showed daytime higher values, suggesting a typical urban behaviour in proximity of the Himalayas. Ozone exhibited a maximum in spring (49.2 ± 24.8 ppbv in May) with an hourly average of more than 110 ppbv, followed by a secondary maximum in autumn and the lowest level occurring in the summer-monsoon (~ 13 ppbv in July-August). Ozone levels exceeded the 8-hour National Air Quality Standard limit (50 ppbv) throughout the year, except in July-September. The observed spring maximum was found to be triggered by biomass burning, leading to 9–50% enhancement in ozone during the high-fire activity period (April-May). Using a box model, in-situ photochemical ozone production and loss were estimated at ~ 41 ppbv and ~ 8 ppbv, respectively. The model highlighted the dominant role of the HO2 + NO reaction (85.6%) in ozone production and the O3 + HO2 reaction (56.2%) in ozone loss. Exposure metrics analysis (M7 and AOT40) estimated an annual loss of 27–37 kilotons of wheat and 14–32 kilotons of rice production due to elevated ozone levels. Furthermore, hazard ratios for non-methane hydrocarbons and lifetime cancer risk values for benzene and ethylbenzene exceeded the standard limits (USEPA and WHO), indicating significant health risks to the population. Model and satellite-based studies demonstrated the NOx-sensitive behaviour of ozone production in this Himalayan region, where aromatics exhibited the maximum ozone formation potential among different NMHCs.

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All observational data used in this analysis could be obtained by writing to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful for the funding received from ARIES and ISRO-ATCTM. We are grateful to the Directors ARIES and IIRS for supporting this study. SL thanks INSA New Delhi for the position. We also acknowledge NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for providing the HYSPLIT model and NASA-FIRMS for the MODIS fire counts data used in this study. Technical support in observations by Deepak Chausali and Nitin Pal is highly valued. We are grateful to editor and both reviewers for their comments/suggestions for further improving this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by ARIES, DST and ISRO-ATCTM projects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, 263001, India

    Mahendar Chand Rajwar, Manish Naja, Prajjwal Rawat & Vikrant Tomar

  2. DDU Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, 273009, India

    Mahendar Chand Rajwar & RK Tiwari

  3. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), ISRO, Department of Space, Govt. of India,, Dehradun, 248001, India

    Yogesh Kant

  4. Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, 243006, India

    Vikrant Tomar

  5. Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, 380009, India

    Shyam Lal

  6. Now at Langley Research Centre, NASA, Hampton, VA, 23681, USA

    Prajjwal Rawat

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Correspondence to Manish Naja.

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Rajwar, M.C., Naja, M., Kant, Y. et al. Ozone variability, its formation potential and crops losses in the himalayan foothills. Air Qual Atmos Health (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-024-01572-9

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