Spatial–temporal patterns in anthropogenic and biomass burning emission contributions to air pollution and mortality burden changes in India from 1995 to 2014
<p>Anthropogenic (ANTHRO) and biomass burning (BB) emissions are major contributors to ambient air pollution, with the latter playing a particularly dominant role in nonurban regions. India has experienced a dramatic deterioration in air quality over the past few decades, but no systematic ass...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/4767/2025/acp-25-4767-2025.pdf |
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| Summary: | <p>Anthropogenic (ANTHRO) and biomass burning (BB) emissions are major contributors to ambient air pollution, with the latter playing a particularly dominant role in nonurban regions. India has experienced a dramatic deterioration in air quality over the past few decades, but no systematic assessment has been conducted to investigate the individual contributions of ANTHRO and BB emission changes over the long term in India, particularly in nonurban areas. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive analysis of the long-term trends in particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters <span class="inline-formula"><</span> 2.5 <span class="inline-formula">µ</span>m (PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span>) and ozone (O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>) in India and their mortality burden changes from 1995 to 2014, using a state-of-the-art high-resolution global chemical transport model (CAM-chem). Our simulations reveal a substantial nationwide increase in annual mean PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> (6.71 <span class="inline-formula">µ</span>g m<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−3</sup></span> per decade) and O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> (7.08 ppbv per decade), with the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and eastern central India serving as hotspots for PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> and O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> trend changes, respectively. It is noteworthy that substantial O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> decreases were observed in the northern IGP, potentially linked to nitric oxide (NO) titration due to a surge in nitrogen oxides (NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub><i>x</i></sub></span>) emissions. Sensitivity analyses highlight ANTHRO emissions as primary contributors to rising PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> and O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>, while BB emissions play a prominent role in winter and spring. In years with high BB activity, the contributions from BB emissions to both PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> and O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> changes were comparable to or even exceeded ANTHRO emissions in specific areas. We further estimate that the elevated air pollutant levels were associated with increased premature mortality attributable to PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> and O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>, leading to 97 830 and 73 911 deaths per decade. Although there has been a decrease in premature mortality per capita in the IGP region, population increase has offset its effectiveness.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |