Role of local absorbing aerosols in modulating Indian summer monsoon rainfall.

Absorbing aerosols and their impact on the Indian monsoon system is highly complex and demands more scientific understanding. Our study using a chemistry-coupled regional climate model (RegCM 4.5) with idealized experiments observed that natural and anthropogenic absorbing aerosols (i.

Response of Indian summer monsoon rainfall to remote carbonaceous aerosols at short time scales: Teleconnections and feedbacks.

The effect of atmospheric aerosols on Indian monsoon is one of the scientifically challenging and societally relevant research issues of the recent decades. Past studies have derived inferences mostly based on local emissions and their impacts thereupon. However, more recent studies have shown that the remote effects driven by aerosols elsewhere could also impact the monsoon system on different time scales.

Investigation of June 2020 giant Saharan dust storm using remote sensing observations and model reanalysis.

This paper investigates the characteristics and impact of a major Saharan dust storm during June 14th-19th 2020 on atmospheric radiative and thermodynamics properties over the Atlantic Ocean. The event witnessed the highest ever aerosol optical depth for June since 2002. The satellites and high-resolution model reanalysis products well captured the origin and spread of the dust storm.

Establishing a link between fine particulate matter (PM) zones and COVID -19 over India based on anthropogenic emission sources and air quality data.

The spread of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic around the globe is affecting people. The majority of Indian urban complexes are reeling under high emissions of deadly fine particulate matter PM and resulting in poor air quality. These fine particles penetrate deep into the body and fuel inflammation in the lungs and respiratory tract, leading to the risk of having cardiovascular and respiratory problems, including a weak immune system.

Biomass-Derived Provenance Dominates Glacial Surface Organic Carbon in the Western Himalaya.

The origin, transport pathway, and spatial variability of total organic carbon (OC) in the western Himalayan glaciers are poorly understood compared to those of black carbon (BC) and dust, but it is critically important to evaluate the climatic role of OC in the region. By applying the distribution of OC activation energy; C activity; and radiogenic isotopes of Pb/Pb, Pb/Pb, and Pb/Pb in glacial debris and atmospheric particulate matter (PM size fraction), we demonstrate that 98.3 ± 1.

Numerical simulations of different sectoral contributions to post monsoon pollution over Delhi.

The National Capital Region (NCR) of India, Delhi, has experienced high post-monsoon pollution along with several peak pollution episodes in recent years. Diwali, the festival of lights, which is among the biggest festivals of India celebrated during the post-monsoon season, is also considered a pollution event associated as it is with the lighting of a large number of firecrackers. 2016 Diwali pollution episode continued for a week creating severe discomfort to residents of Delhi, prompting the judiciary to ban the sale and use of firecrackers in Delhi from 2017 onwards.

Rapid urbanization and associated impacts on land surface temperature changes over Bhubaneswar Urban District, India.

Urban settlements are the socio-economic drivers of human community. However, rapid urban expansion during recent times has a profound effect on regional as well as global rise in temperatures. Remote sensing is a powerful tool to monitor and quantify the expansion of urban built-up area and assess its effects on regional heating.

Land use and land cover change effect on surface temperature over Eastern India.

Land use and land cover (LULC) change has been shown to have significant effect on climate through various pathways that modulate land surface temperature and rainfall. However, few studies have illustrated such a link over the Indian region using observations. Through a combination of ground, satellite remote sensing and reanalysis products, we investigate the recent changes to land surface temperature in the Eastern state of Odisha between 1981 and 2010 and assess its relation to LULC.

Declining pre-monsoon dust loading over South Asia: Signature of a changing regional climate.

Desert dust over the Indian region during pre-monsoon season is known to strengthen monsoon circulation, by modulating rainfall through the elevated heat pump (EHP) mechanism. In this context, an insight into long term trends of dust loading over this region is of significant importance in understanding monsoon variability. In this study, using long term (2000 to 2015) aerosol measurements from multiple satellites, ground stations and model based reanalysis, we show that dust loading in the atmosphere has decreased by 10 to 20% during the pre-monsoon season with respect to start of this century.