Volatile organic compound measurements point to fog-induced biomass burning feedback to air quality in the megacity of Delhi

H. Hakkim; V. Sinha; B. P. Chandra; A. Kumar; A. K. Mishra; B. Sinha; G. Sharma; H. Pawar; B. Sohpaul; Sachin D. Ghude; P. Pithani; R. Kulkarni; R. K. Jenamani; M. Rajeevan

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.438

Volatile organic compound measurements point to fog-induced biomass burning feedback to air quality in the megacity of Delhi

H. Hakkim, V. Sinha^*, B. P. Chandra, A. Kumar, A. K. Mishra, B. Sinha, G. Sharma, H. Pawar, B. Sohpaul, Sachin D. Ghude, P. Pithani, R. Kulkarni, R. K. Jenamani, M. Rajeevan

^*Corresponding author for this work

Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We report the first ambient measurements of thirteen VOCs for investigations of emissions and air quality during fog and non-fog wintertime conditions at a tower site (28.57° N, 77.11° E, 220 m amsl) in the megacity of Delhi. Measurements of acetonitrile (biomass burning (BB) tracer), isoprene (biogenic emission tracer in daytime), toluene (a traffic exhaust tracer) and benzene (emitted from BB and traffic), together with soluble and reactive oxygenated VOCs such as methanol, acetone and acetaldehyde were performed during the winters of 2015–16 and 2016–17, using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Remarkably, ambient VOC composition changes during fog were not governed by solubility. Acetaldehyde, toluene, sum of C8-aromatics (e.g. xylenes), sum of C9-aromatics (e.g. trimethyl benzenes) decreased by ≥30% (>95% confidence interval), whereas acetonitrile and benzene showed significant increases by 20% (>70% confidence interval), even after accounting for boundary layer dilution. During fog, the lower temperatures appeared to induce an emissions feedback from enhanced open BB within Delhi for warming, releasing both gaseous and aerosol pollutants with consequences for fog chemistry, sustenance and intensity. The potential feedback is important to consider for improving current emission parametrizations in models used for predicting air quality and fog in such atmospheric environments.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	295-304
Number of pages	10
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	689
Early online date	27 Jun 2019
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.438
Publication status	Published - 2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank the past and present Directors of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, the Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and Director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune for their kind support and encouragement. We acknowledge the IISER Mohali Atmospheric Chemistry Facility, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), India and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) for support and funding. We thank Prof. G.S. Bhat (Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru) for his leadership of the Delhi winterfog experiments as well the MS students of IISER Mohali, Mr. Muhammed Shabin and Ms. Nimya Sunil for technical support.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

Biomass burning
Delhi air quality
Fog
Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry
Volatile organic compounds

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10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.438

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719330116

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Hakkim, H., Sinha, V., Chandra, B. P., Kumar, A., Mishra, A. K., Sinha, B., Sharma, G., Pawar, H., Sohpaul, B., Ghude, S. D., Pithani, P., Kulkarni, R., Jenamani, R. K., & Rajeevan, M. (2019). Volatile organic compound measurements point to fog-induced biomass burning feedback to air quality in the megacity of Delhi. Science of the Total Environment, 689, 295-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.438

@article{08087da6aa0941ef884024bca2a44a48,

title = "Volatile organic compound measurements point to fog-induced biomass burning feedback to air quality in the megacity of Delhi",

abstract = "We report the first ambient measurements of thirteen VOCs for investigations of emissions and air quality during fog and non-fog wintertime conditions at a tower site (28.57° N, 77.11° E, 220 m amsl) in the megacity of Delhi. Measurements of acetonitrile (biomass burning (BB) tracer), isoprene (biogenic emission tracer in daytime), toluene (a traffic exhaust tracer) and benzene (emitted from BB and traffic), together with soluble and reactive oxygenated VOCs such as methanol, acetone and acetaldehyde were performed during the winters of 2015–16 and 2016–17, using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Remarkably, ambient VOC composition changes during fog were not governed by solubility. Acetaldehyde, toluene, sum of C8-aromatics (e.g. xylenes), sum of C9-aromatics (e.g. trimethyl benzenes) decreased by ≥30% (>95% confidence interval), whereas acetonitrile and benzene showed significant increases by 20% (>70% confidence interval), even after accounting for boundary layer dilution. During fog, the lower temperatures appeared to induce an emissions feedback from enhanced open BB within Delhi for warming, releasing both gaseous and aerosol pollutants with consequences for fog chemistry, sustenance and intensity. The potential feedback is important to consider for improving current emission parametrizations in models used for predicting air quality and fog in such atmospheric environments.",

keywords = "Biomass burning, Delhi air quality, Fog, Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, Volatile organic compounds",

author = "H. Hakkim and V. Sinha and Chandra, {B. P.} and A. Kumar and Mishra, {A. K.} and B. Sinha and G. Sharma and H. Pawar and B. Sohpaul and Ghude, {Sachin D.} and P. Pithani and R. Kulkarni and Jenamani, {R. K.} and M. Rajeevan",

note = "Funding Information: We thank the past and present Directors of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, the Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and Director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune for their kind support and encouragement. We acknowledge the IISER Mohali Atmospheric Chemistry Facility, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), India and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) for support and funding. We thank Prof. G.S. Bhat (Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru) for his leadership of the Delhi winterfog experiments as well the MS students of IISER Mohali, Mr. Muhammed Shabin and Ms. Nimya Sunil for technical support. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2019",

doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.438",

language = "English",

volume = "689",

pages = "295--304",

journal = "Science of the Total Environment",

issn = "0048-9697",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

Hakkim, H, Sinha, V, Chandra, BP, Kumar, A, Mishra, AK, Sinha, B, Sharma, G, Pawar, H, Sohpaul, B, Ghude, SD, Pithani, P, Kulkarni, R, Jenamani, RK & Rajeevan, M 2019, 'Volatile organic compound measurements point to fog-induced biomass burning feedback to air quality in the megacity of Delhi', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 689, pp. 295-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.438

TY - JOUR

T1 - Volatile organic compound measurements point to fog-induced biomass burning feedback to air quality in the megacity of Delhi

AU - Hakkim, H.

AU - Sinha, V.

AU - Chandra, B. P.

AU - Kumar, A.

AU - Mishra, A. K.

AU - Sinha, B.

AU - Sharma, G.

AU - Pawar, H.

AU - Sohpaul, B.

AU - Ghude, Sachin D.

AU - Pithani, P.

AU - Kulkarni, R.

AU - Jenamani, R. K.

AU - Rajeevan, M.

N1 - Funding Information: We thank the past and present Directors of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, the Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and Director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune for their kind support and encouragement. We acknowledge the IISER Mohali Atmospheric Chemistry Facility, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), India and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) for support and funding. We thank Prof. G.S. Bhat (Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru) for his leadership of the Delhi winterfog experiments as well the MS students of IISER Mohali, Mr. Muhammed Shabin and Ms. Nimya Sunil for technical support. Publisher Copyright: © 2019 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - We report the first ambient measurements of thirteen VOCs for investigations of emissions and air quality during fog and non-fog wintertime conditions at a tower site (28.57° N, 77.11° E, 220 m amsl) in the megacity of Delhi. Measurements of acetonitrile (biomass burning (BB) tracer), isoprene (biogenic emission tracer in daytime), toluene (a traffic exhaust tracer) and benzene (emitted from BB and traffic), together with soluble and reactive oxygenated VOCs such as methanol, acetone and acetaldehyde were performed during the winters of 2015–16 and 2016–17, using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Remarkably, ambient VOC composition changes during fog were not governed by solubility. Acetaldehyde, toluene, sum of C8-aromatics (e.g. xylenes), sum of C9-aromatics (e.g. trimethyl benzenes) decreased by ≥30% (>95% confidence interval), whereas acetonitrile and benzene showed significant increases by 20% (>70% confidence interval), even after accounting for boundary layer dilution. During fog, the lower temperatures appeared to induce an emissions feedback from enhanced open BB within Delhi for warming, releasing both gaseous and aerosol pollutants with consequences for fog chemistry, sustenance and intensity. The potential feedback is important to consider for improving current emission parametrizations in models used for predicting air quality and fog in such atmospheric environments.

AB - We report the first ambient measurements of thirteen VOCs for investigations of emissions and air quality during fog and non-fog wintertime conditions at a tower site (28.57° N, 77.11° E, 220 m amsl) in the megacity of Delhi. Measurements of acetonitrile (biomass burning (BB) tracer), isoprene (biogenic emission tracer in daytime), toluene (a traffic exhaust tracer) and benzene (emitted from BB and traffic), together with soluble and reactive oxygenated VOCs such as methanol, acetone and acetaldehyde were performed during the winters of 2015–16 and 2016–17, using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Remarkably, ambient VOC composition changes during fog were not governed by solubility. Acetaldehyde, toluene, sum of C8-aromatics (e.g. xylenes), sum of C9-aromatics (e.g. trimethyl benzenes) decreased by ≥30% (>95% confidence interval), whereas acetonitrile and benzene showed significant increases by 20% (>70% confidence interval), even after accounting for boundary layer dilution. During fog, the lower temperatures appeared to induce an emissions feedback from enhanced open BB within Delhi for warming, releasing both gaseous and aerosol pollutants with consequences for fog chemistry, sustenance and intensity. The potential feedback is important to consider for improving current emission parametrizations in models used for predicting air quality and fog in such atmospheric environments.

KW - Biomass burning

KW - Delhi air quality

KW - Fog

KW - Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry

KW - Volatile organic compounds

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U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.438

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.438

M3 - Article

C2 - 31276997

AN - SCOPUS:85068118505

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 689

SP - 295

EP - 304

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

ER -

Volatile organic compound measurements point to fog-induced biomass burning feedback to air quality in the megacity of Delhi

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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