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Spatio-temporal assessment and climatology of atmospheric organic carbon over Pakistan

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Abstract

Organic carbon (OC) is the amount of carbon found in an organic compound. Once entered, the environment OC may cause climate change and effects on public health. The objective of the study was to assess the spatio-temporal trends of OC, climatology, and to develop inventories. The three satellite datasets (MACCity, ACCMIP, RCP 8.5) showed significant different trends in OC levels. Results indicated significantly higher trends in OC distribution during anthropogenic activities and the industrial era as compared with natural sources and the pre-industrial era. The residential and industrial sectors showed higher emission of OC 1.0 × 10−5to 2.5 × 102 Tg/year, respectively as compared with other sectors. Spatial distribution of OC revealed higher levels in bigger cities (Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Punch, and Mardan districts) of Pakistan. The temporal analysis shows irregular increasing trends in OC distribution with the passage of time. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that residential OC showed a positive correlation with surface temperature, wind and heat and OC transport, sum, residential, and energy sector with relative humidity in MACCity and RCP 8.5 datasets, respectively. The study indicated that savanna burning and residential sectors were a major contributor to the level of OC. The results will be helpful for the government to devise policies regarding OC management.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to GEIA for providing the data.

Funding

Special thanks to the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan NRPU projects 7958 and 7964. Further thanks to the Pakistan Science Foundation project PSF/Res/CP/C-CUI/Envr (151).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi & Khadija Ashraf

  2. Pakistan Meteorological Department, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Shahzada Adnan

  3. College of Resource and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China

    Shuhong Wang & Zulkfil Ahmed

  4. School of Social and Environmental Development, National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), 118 Moo3, Sereethai Road, Klong-Chan, Bangkapi, Bangkok, 10240, Thailand

    Siwatt Pongpiachan

  5. College of Geography and Environmental Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Yingbin Road 688#, Jinhua, 321004, China

    Xiaomei Su

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  1. Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi
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  2. Khadija Ashraf
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  3. Shahzada Adnan
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  4. Shuhong Wang
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  5. Siwatt Pongpiachan
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  6. Xiaomei Su
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Correspondence to Muhammad Zaffar Hashmi, Shuhong Wang or Zulkfil Ahmed.

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Responsible Editor: Zhihua Zhang

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Hashmi, M.Z., Ashraf, K., Adnan, S. et al. Spatio-temporal assessment and climatology of atmospheric organic carbon over Pakistan. Arab J Geosci 13, 699 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05723-x

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