20/06/2016 RAVI

Black Carbon and Ozone

The purpose:

India is a major hotspot for biomass-burning-influenced Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABC) and haze (see the satellite shot of part of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, IGP, in Figure 1) that induces adverse health effects, influence climate, and thus pose major threats to water and food security, and sustainable development, across south-east Asia, home to the world’s most vulnerable populations. Knowledge of the properties and action of air pollutants in the atmosphere is critical for our understanding, prediction and mitigation strategies for climate change, food security and health. The overall aims of this project are to understand the presence, environmental effects and variability of the short-lived climate forcers –black carbon (BC) and ozone (O3), by long term measurements combined with intensive campaigns and laboratory experiments to elucidate the relevant processes involved in rural India. This will lead to improved modeling tools to specifically assess the influences of biomass-burning-driven air pollutants on agriculture and sustainable development in the subcontinent.

Specific Objectives: 

  1. Establish a research monitoring station in a rural area of the IGP in India to characterize surface-level O3, NOx, Black Carbon (BC or soot), aerosol trace elements and organic carbon compounds in the atmosphere, focusing on their effects on regional climate, agriculture and health.
  2. Investigate the processes relevant for the regional brown haze including biomass burning, O3 formation, oxidation of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) yielding low-volatility compounds leading to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and soot transformation.
  3. Develop process-level models of O3 effects on crops and effects of heterogeneous and multiphase chemistry on the optical properties of interacting soot-organic aerosol mixtures relevant to global atmospheric chemistry, and formulate parameterizations to improve radiative forcing predictions in regional and global climate models.
  4. Educate the next generation of students and farmers about the significance of air-pollution, using our measurements as examples, through dedicated series of seminars in secondary schools and farming communities’ venues in India.

In rural India, burning biomass for cooking and agricultural practices, by ca. 750 million people, is an important source of air pollutants both regionally and globally. The combustion conditions are generally drastically poor and lead to significant emissions of BC, NOX and gaseous organic compounds. These pollutants are omnipresent in the ABC. The photochemical processing of these emissions yields high levels of O3 and SOA that interact with BC, altering its health and climate effects. In addition to adverse health effects and ability to alter the regional climate, O3 (especially) affects vegetation, notably reducing crop yields, in the vulnerable environment thereby reducing food supplies for the growing population.

The characterization of the rural air masses of the IGP will be linked to concurrent laboratory experiments using state-of-the-art facilities and aerosol research instrumentation to elucidate the chemical processes. In addition to improve modeling tools to assess the influences of biomass burning-driven air pollutants on agriculture and sustainable development, the project will ultimately pave the way to formulate life-improving environmental policies for poverty-stricken populations across the Indian subcontinent. Further, this project will strengthen and contribute to the two Swedish strategic research area –BECC (Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate) and MERGE (ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system), that at University of Gothenburg are under a common theme of Atmosphere-Climate-Ecosystem including three science departments and the school of Business, Economics and Law. The focus on air pollution and climate in India is in-line with the Gothenburg Air and Climate centre (GAC) strategy to enhance collaboration and research in hotspots areas. GAC recently got a high profile frame-work grant from VR for China collaboration on photochemical smog. Clearly, the suggested Indian project will benefits from the Chinese initiative even though the rural areas of India are in a much more vulnerable state with additional scientific questions. Specifically, using the network and infrastructure of our partners –Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK) and the Sustainability, Education, Entrepreneurship and Development (SEED) Foundation, USA; the knowledge acquired will be used for inspiring lectures at selected schools and farming communities.

 

 

 Project description

To improve predictions of the health, ecological and climatic effects of the atmospheric pollutants described above, accurate information on their long-term concentrations, sources and physico-chemical transformation processes and properties is essential. Acquiring such information is the overall aim of this project and will be delivered through a four-year program consisting of three main Tasks. We will undertake long-term monitoring with two selected intensive campaign in the rural IGP (Task 1), model development by process descriptions based on monitoring and concurrent laboratory findings (Task 2) and community outreach and educational programs (Task 3) as described below.

Task 1: Long-term monitoring and platform for intensive characterization of air pollutants

Fresh and aged atmospheric aerosols have been observed in previous short-term field campaigns at an urban site in the IGP maintained by the IITK [36-38]. However, there is little knowledge of the important pollutants arising from burning biomass in Indian rural areas. Thus, in collaboration with IITK and our international partner organization in India (REaD Foundation), we aim to establish a new monitoring station 100 km south of Kanpur, in the heart of the rural IGP.

  1. Installation of facilities and equipment:

The new monitoring station is  tracking  real-time concentrations of air pollutants emitted by rural communities that significantly affect agriculture, health and both the regional and global climate. The site will be situated in agricultural fields adjacent to a forest by the River Burma (a tributary of the River Betwa) surrounded by six villages in the Hamirpur district, Uttar Pradesh (25o48’55.5”N; 79o55’07.5”E, see Figure 1). The neighboring communities largely apply organic farming practices that cause little nitrogen pollution due to limited fertilizer use. Here, we will acquire information on background and regional pollutant levels to model their effects on crops. The station will be routinely supervised by staff jointly appointed by the applicants, IITK and the SEED Foundation, managed by Pathak (the Principal Investigation and Founder of IGP-CARE), and data is  regularly acquired online through web-based tools. The facility will be equipped with a solar power generation system to avoid any local emission biases.

IGP pollution and site location II

 

Figure 1: Satellite view of atmospheric brown clouds (ABC) and haze spread over the Indo-Gangetic Plain, India and the location of the IGP-CARE rural monitoring station (*)[8].

  1. Measurements of Air-Pollutants:
  • Long-term monitoring of diurnal and temporal concentrations of BC, near-surface O3 and NOx, using commercially built state-of-the art instrumentation, will be established in the heart of the rural Indo-Gangetic Plain, India. Weekly filter samples of particulate matter ≤2.5µm (PM5) will be collected for offline analysis, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden (details on offline analysis see part C below)
  • We will complement the regular year-round measurements with two intense field campaigns. To elucidate BC formation and transformation processes, in addition to the parallel measurement of BC mass and aerosol phase composition using HR-ToF-SP-AMS (High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Soot-Photometer-Aerosol-Mass-Spectrometer) provided by our partners at IITK, we will also assess the optical and radiative properties of rural aerosols using our photo acoustic soot spectrometer (PASS-3) with 3 wavelengths (781,532 and 405nm). For secondary pollutants, we will use our mobile relaxed eddy covariance flux tower to assess VOC emissions and O3 deposition over selected cultivated areas, i.e. wheat, gram and bean fields in the surroundings of the monitoring site. Both campaigns will be in winter/spring time with one bias towards January to capture severe occasions with primary air pollutants and the other towards March to capture photochemistry and the flowering period of crops (when they are most vulnerable for O3 damage).
  1. Off-line analyze of filters from the measurement site

Filter samples collected weekly at the rural IGP site will be analyzed with respect to elemental composition using our EDXRF analyzer enabling source apportionment using principal component or factor analysis [39]. Using the filters we will also explore a novel method to acquire information on the speciation of multiple organic compounds. Our new HR-ToF-CIMS, with its specially designed inlet, will be applied to analyze the composition of SOA on Teflon filters using gentle thermal desorption. This analysis can provide data not only on trace compounds typically released in biomass burning, such as levoglucosal [40] and other sugar-alcohols, but also compounds formed via the photo-oxidation of biogenic VOCs, e.g. pinic and pinonic acids [41]. In addition, the method has been proven to provide molecular identities of several hundred compounds, but has been mainly applied in on-line mode. Using it in off-line mode is associated with risks of contamination and losses of samples during transport and handling of the filters. However, the added value for interpreting aerosol processes and the ability to link field measurements and concurrent laboratory experiments at acceptable costs outweigh these risks.

Task 2: Process descriptions, interpretation and modeling work

The theoretical work will focus on soot-SOA interactions and O3 effects on crops. In models, these processes are interlinked by the common feature of photochemical processing of air pollutants, but for clarity they are described separately then our capacity for updating current regional models is outlined. Part of the evaluation process is linked to the use of experiments data from an ongoing FORMAS project that is shortly discussed for clarity.

  1. The key findings from field measurements can be simulated in our world class flow-reactor facility (G-FROST: Gothenburg Flow Reactor for Oxidation Studies at low Temperature) at the Gothenburg University (GU). Our efforts will focus on characterizing how soot interacts with sulfuric acid and organics, and consequent effects on optical (light absorbing and scattering) properties through rigorously designed and systematically controlled laboratory experiments. This system is used in line with the aims of an ongoing FORMAS-funded project, but one can extract information related to our findings from the monitoring station. G-FROST is an infrastructural component of the ACCENT European network of excellence, and a state-of-the-art facility for systematic investigations of effects of multiple variables, e.g. temperature, RH, VOCs, seeds and oxidants on SOA formation [42]. Our experimental strategy will involve three basic steps. First, generation of BC (soot) particles with tightly specified parameters, regarding size and quantified amounts of sulfuric acid and ammonia. Second, formation of SOA on BC particles (e.g. coating semi-volatile organic compounds on modified BC surfaces generated in the first step) at controlled RH and temperature in the flow tube. Third, measurements of gas-aerosol composition and properties of BC-SOA mixtures at the flow-tube exit. The application of PASS-3 for soot and HR-ToF-CIMS for SOA characterization will directly link laboratory findings to the measurements at the rural IGP station.
  2. The combined information from the flow reactor and field observation on the composition and properties of fresh and aged aerosols resulting from soot-SOA interactions will be used to formulate parameterizations for air quality and climate models. SOA parameterizations will be developed using the new vapor pressure-fitting scheme known as the volatility basis set recently described and updated by Donahue et al. [43], covering a wide range of vapor pressures (10-2 to 105 mgm-3), and applied to the soot transformation processes. To provide reliable, high-quality laboratory data for field and model evaluations, steps outlined in the extensive review by Hallquist et al. [[12] will be followed.
  3. The modeling of O3 deposition and its effects will be based on our previous experience of European and Chinese conditions, but using the O3 variation and flux measurements obtained in this project as important inputs to constrain the model [26,28,44].
  4. Providing process descriptions for regional models and ecosystem services, particularly schemes developed within three major initiatives:
    1. MERGE (ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system): A Swedish strategic research area, focusing on biosphere-atmosphere interactions. The main applicant (Pathak) and co-applicant Hallquist are coordinating the University of Gothenburg contribution to MERGE and Hallquist is heading the research initiative Terrestrial carbon cycle and aerosol–cloud–climate interaction, including MERGE partners from Lund (e.g. Swietlicki is deputy coordinator of MERGE) and Chalmers (The EMEP model expert Simpson).
    2. CLEO (CLimate change and Environmental Objectives): A Swedish EPA research program hosted by IVL (2010-2016), with deliverables for models used by SMHI (e.g. the MATCH model in combination with regional climate models) and Chalmers (the EMEP model); SOA parameterization will be included into the MATCH model as part of a CLEO sub-project between Hallquist and SMHI. MATCH is used for air quality assessment in Sweden but has also been applied for India [31] and by using high-resolution regional climate model input data one can study the effects of climate changes. The new data from India will provide opportunities to update risk assessments for this vulnerable region. A second part within CLEO is to use the cost benefit model GAINS for Swedish conditions. GAINS are also available for Asia and could accordingly be updated(http://gains.iiasa.ac.at)
  • BECC (Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate): BECC is collaboration between Lund University and the University of Gothenburg. It is a strategic research area that strives to improve understanding of the impacts of climate change and land use decisions on terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity, addressing the consequences of ecosystem changes for human beings and socio-economic systems. Pleijel is coordinating the University of Gothenburg contribution to BECC.

Task 3: Community outreach and educational programs

This will be the first monitoring station of its kind in the rural IGP with an agenda to inform students and farming communities, through seminars and community workshops in popular formats. The transferred knowledge will include information on the significance of atmospheric pollution to their daily lives, the climate and agriculture (notably effects of O3 on various crops, and crops that are most resistant to its effects on yield). Thus, the project will improve their livelihood and life-quality. We will also provide a number of scholarships particularly for girls to motivate them to participate in our measurements and site maintenance on regular basis. This positive discrimination exercise will further help efforts to diminish the damaging gender bias in India.

  1. Relevance of the project

This pioneering project will provide important long-term data on levels of BC, O3 and associated species, as well as processes that affect these critical pollutants. The focus on rural areas of the IGP will enable acquisition of continuous records of regional background levels of specific importance for O3-induced crop damage and regional climate impacts of both BC and O3. The data will be used to validate models to enable more accurate assessments for abatement strategies in an area where cost-benefit estimates are crucial to optimize use of limited resources. The acquired information will also facilitate sustainable development in the region and the development of effective mitigation strategies. Finally, findings about the processes involved in O3 and BC formation and transformation will be applicable in other places around the world and especially it can be compared and evaluated in relationship to with the concurrent work on the photochemical smog in China supported by the VR framework programme. Similar air-pollution-climate change abatement strategies are needed in many developing regions; hence the findings will primarily benefit the poorest of our planet’s population by enhancing food supplies, reducing adverse health effects and limiting regional climate changes [2].

National and International Collaborations

This project is further supported by eminent atmospheric aerosol scientists from premier institutions, both international (CMU, USA; , SEED Foundation,  USA; IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, BHU and Bharat Uday Mission, India) and interdisciplinary (Biological and Environmental Sciences, GU). The expertise and infrastructure at these institutions will be effectively harnessed to deliver cutting-edge research to quantify the climatic, health and agricultural effects of BC, O3, aerosols, associated species and their complex interactions in a globally key region. The personnel, collaborations and roles of

The Site Location:

The IGP-CARE Lab and residential campus is located in very remote rural and natural settings in the ravines of Betawa river in district Hamirpur (U.P.), India. The location is very peaceful and secure.  It is about 500 km from New Delhi – the capital city of India. https://www.google.se/maps/@25.8268496,79.8988246,18z

Infrastructure:

  • Research faciltity Building with spacious rooms, labs, office spaces, lecture hall  and WC
  • Solar Power station for
  • Residential unit with canteen for  research staff and visitors
  • Vehicle for transportation