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Seasonal characteristics of water-soluble inorganic ions and carbonaceous aerosols in total suspended particulate matter at a rural semi-arid site, Kadapa (India)

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Abstract

To better understand the sources as well as characterization of regional aerosols at a rural semi-arid region Kadapa (India), size-resolved composition of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) mass concentrations was sampled and analysed. This was carried out by using the Anderson low-pressure impactor for a period of 2 years during March 2013–February 2015. Also, the variations of organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and water-soluble inorganic ion components (WSICs) present in total suspended particulate matter (TSPM) were studied over the measurement site. From the statistical analysis, the PM mass concentration showed a higher abundance of coarse mode particles than the fine mode during pre-monsoon season. In contrast, fine mode particles in the PM concentration showed dominance over coarse mode particle contribution during the winter. During the post-monsoon season, the percentage contributions of coarse and fine fractions were equal, whereas during the monsoon, coarse mode fraction was approximately 26 % higher than the fine mode. This distinct feature in the case of fine mode particles during the studied period is mainly attributed to large-scale anthropogenic activities and regional prevailing meteorological conditions. Further, the potential sources of PM have been identified qualitatively by using the ratios of certain ions. A high sulphate (SO4) concentration at the measurement site was observed during the studied period which is caused by the nearby/surrounding mining activity. Carbon fractions (OC and EC) were also analysed from the TSPM, and the results indicated (OC/EC ratio of ~4.2) the formation of a secondary organic aerosol. At last, the cluster backward trajectory analyses were also performed at Kadapa for different seasons to reveal the origin of sources from long-range transport during the study period.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Bangalore, for the financial support through its Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (GBP) under Aerosol Radiative Forcing over India (ARFI) project. One of the authors (G. Reshma Begam) acknowledges the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, for awarding fellowship under INSPIRE Programme. We are particularly grateful to Dr. K. Krishna Moorthy, ISRO Head Quarters, Bangalore, and Dr. S. Suresh Babu, ARFI Project Director, Trivandrum, for their constant encouragement and support. We also thank the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for providing the HYSPLIT transport dispersion model used in this study. The authors would like to acknowledge Prof. Gerhard Lammel, Editor-in-Chief of the journal, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and constructive suggestions towards the improvement of an earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atmospheric Science Laboratory, Department of Physics, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, 516 003, India

    G. Reshma Begam, C. Viswanatha Vachaspati & Y. Nazeer Ahammed

  2. Collaborative Innovation Centre for Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Key Laboratory for Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation of China Meteorological Administration, School of Atmospheric Physics, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210044, China

    K. Raghavendra Kumar

  3. Aerosol and Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, 515 003, India

    R. R. Reddy

  4. CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, DR. K S Krishna Road, New Delhi, 110 012, India

    S. K. Sharma, Mohit Saxena & T. K. Mandal

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  1. G. Reshma Begam
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  2. C. Viswanatha Vachaspati
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  3. Y. Nazeer Ahammed
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Correspondence to Y. Nazeer Ahammed.

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Begam, G.R., Vachaspati, C.V., Ahammed, Y.N. et al. Seasonal characteristics of water-soluble inorganic ions and carbonaceous aerosols in total suspended particulate matter at a rural semi-arid site, Kadapa (India). Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 1719–1734 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7917-1

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