TY - GEN A1 - Mahata, Khadak Singh A1 - Panday, Arnico Kumar A1 - Rupakheti, Maheswar A1 - Singh, Ashish A1 - Naja, Manish A1 - Lawrence, Mark T1 - Seasonal and diurnal variations in methane and carbon dioxide in the Kathmandu Valley in the foothills of the central Himalayas T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - The SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley-Atmospheric Brown Clouds) international air pollution measurement campaign was carried out from December 2012 to June 2013 in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The Kathmandu Valley is a bowl-shaped basin with a severe air pollution problem. This paper reports measurements of two major greenhouse gases (GHGs), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), along with the pollutant CO, that began during the campaign and were extended for 1 year at the SusKat-ABC supersite in Bode, a semi-urban location in the Kathmandu Valley. Simultaneous measurements were also made during 2015 in Bode and a nearby rural site (Chanban) similar to 25 km (aerial distance) to the southwest of Bode on the other side of a tall ridge. The ambient mixing ratios of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, and carbon monoxide (CO) were measured with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (G2401; Picarro, USA) along with meteorological parameters for 1 year (March 2013-March 2014). These measurements are the first of their kind in the central Himalayan foothills. At Bode, the annual average mixing ratios of CO2 and CH4 were 419.3 (+/- 6.0) ppm and 2.192 (+/- 0.066) ppm, respectively. These values are higher than the levels observed at background sites such as Mauna Loa, USA (CO2: 396.8 +/- 2.0 ppm, CH4: 1.831 +/- 0.110 ppm) and Waliguan, China (CO2: 397.7 +/- 3.6 ppm, CH4: 1.879 +/- 0.009 ppm) during the same period and at other urban and semi-urban sites in the region, such as Ahmedabad and Shadnagar (India). They varied slightly across the seasons at Bode, with seasonal average CH4 mixing ratios of 2.157 (+/- 0.230) ppm in the pre-monsoon season, 2.199 (+/- 0.241) ppm in the monsoon, 2.210 (+/- 0.200) ppm in the post-monsoon, and 2.214 (+/- 0.209) ppm in the winter season. The average CO2 mixing ratios were 426.2 (+/- 25.5) ppm in the pre-monsoon, 413.5 (+/- 24.2) ppm in the monsoon, 417.3 (+/- 23.1) ppm in the postmonsoon, and 421.9 (+/- 20.3) ppm in the winter season. The maximum seasonal mean mixing ratio of CH4 in winter was only 0.057 ppm or 2.6% higher than the seasonal minimum during the pre-monsoon period, while CO2 was 12.8 ppm or 3.1% higher during the pre-monsoon period (seasonal maximum) than during the monsoon (seasonal minimum). On the other hand, the CO mixing ratio at Bode was 191% higher during the winter than during the monsoon season. The enhancement in CO2 mixing ratios during the pre-monsoon season is associated with additional CO2 emissions from forest fires and agro-residue burning in northern South Asia in addition to local emissions in the Kathmandu Valley. Published CO = CO2 ratios of different emission sources in Nepal and India were compared with the observed CO = CO2 ratios in this study. This comparison suggested that the major sources in the Kathmandu Valley were residential cooking and vehicle exhaust in all seasons except winter. In winter, brick kiln emissions were a major source. Simultaneous measurements in Bode and Chanban (15 July-3 October 2015) revealed that the mixing ratios of CO2, CH4, and CO were 3.8, 12, and 64% higher in Bode than Chanban. The Kathmandu Valley thus has significant emissions from local sources, which can also be attributed to its bowl-shaped geography that is conducive to pollution build-up. At Bode, all three gas species (CO2, CH4, and CO) showed strong diurnal patterns in their mixing ratios with a pronounced morning peak (ca. 08:00), a dip in the afternoon, and a gradual increase again through the night until the next morning. CH4 and CO at Chanban, however, did not show any noticeable diurnal variations. These measurements provide the first insights into the diurnal and seasonal variation in key greenhouse gases and air pollutants and their local and regional sources, which is important information for atmospheric research in the region. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 610 KW - air-pollution transport KW - black carbon KW - trace gases KW - numerical-simulation KW - ozone concentrations KW - late wintertime KW - South-Asia KW - urban site KW - NCOP KW - India Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-416643 IS - 610 SP - 12573 EP - 12596 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mahata, Khadak Singh A1 - Rupakheti, Maheswar A1 - Panday, Arnico Kumar A1 - Bhardwaj, Piyush A1 - Naja, Manish A1 - Singh, Ashish A1 - Mues, Andrea A1 - Cristofanelli, Paolo A1 - Pudasainee, Deepak A1 - Bonasoni, Paolo A1 - Lawrence, Mark T1 - Observation and analysis of spatio-temporal characteristics of surface ozone and carbon monoxide at multiple sites in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Residents of the Kathmandu Valley experience severe particulate and gaseous air pollution throughout most of the year, even during much of the rainy season. The knowledge base for understanding the air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley was previously very limited, but is improving rapidly due to several field measurement studies conducted in the last few years. Thus far, most analyses of observations in the Kathmandu Valley have been limited to short periods of time at single locations. This study extends on the past studies by examining the spatial and temporal characteristics of two important gaseous air pollutant (CO and O3) based on simultaneous observations over a longer period at five locations within the valley and on its rim, including a supersite (at Bode in the valley center, 1345m above sea level) and four satellite sites (at Paknajol, 1380masl in the Kathmandu city center, at Bhimdhunga (1522masl), a mountain pass on the valley's western rim, at Nagarkot (1901masl), another mountain pass on the eastern rim, and Naikhandi, near the valley's only river outlet). CO and O3 mixing ratios were monitored from January to July 2013, along with other gases and aerosol particles by instruments deployed at the Bode supersite during the international air pollution measurement campaign SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley – endorsed by the Atmospheric Brown Clouds program of UNEP). The O3 monitoring at Bode, Paknajol and Nagarkot as well as the CO monitoring at Bode were extended beyond July 2013 to investigate their variability over a complete annual cycle. Higher CO mixing ratios were found at Bode than at the outskirt sites (Bhimdhunga, Naikhandi and Nagarkot), and all sites except Nagarkot showed distinct diurnal cycles of CO mixing ratio with morning peaks and daytime lows. Seasonally, CO was higher during the pre-monsoon and winter seasons, especially due to the emissions from brick kiln industries, which only operate during this period, as well as increased domestic heating during winter, and regional forest fires and agro-residue burning. It was lower during the monsoon due to rainfall, which reduces open burning activities within the valley and in the surrounding regions, and thus reduces the sources of CO. The meteorology of the valley also played a key role in determining the CO mixing ratios. Furthermore, there was evidence of some influence of pollution from the greater region around the valley. A top-down estimate of the CO emission flux was made by using the CO mixing ratio and mixing layer height (MLH) measured at Bode. The estimated annual CO flux at Bode was 4.92μgm−2s−1, which is 2–14 times higher than that in widely used emission inventory databases (EDGAR HTAP, REAS and INTEX-B). This difference in CO flux between Bode and other emission databases likely arises from large uncertainties in both the top-down and bottom-up approaches to estimating the emission flux. The O3 mixing ratio was found to be highest during the pre-monsoon season at all sites, while the timing of the seasonal minimum varied across the sites. The daily maximum 8 hour average O3 exceeded the WHO recommended guideline of 50ppb on more days at the hilltop station of Nagarkot (159/357 days) than at the urban valley bottom sites of Paknajol (132/354 days) and Bode (102/353 days), presumably due to the influence of free-tropospheric air at the high-altitude site, as well as to titration of O3 by fresh NOx emissions near the urban sites. More than 78% of the exceedance days were during the pre-monsoon period at all sites. This was due to both favorable meteorological conditions as well as contributions of precursors from regional sources such as forest fires and agro-residue burning. The high O3 mixing ratio observed during the pre-monsoon period is of a high concern for human health and ecosystems, including agroecosystems in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 848 Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-416626 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 848 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mahata, Khadak Singh A1 - Panday, Arnico Kumar A1 - Rupakheti, Maheswar A1 - Singh, Ashish A1 - Naja, Manish A1 - Lawrence, Mark T1 - Seasonal and diurnal variations in methane and carbon dioxide in the Kathmandu Valley in the foothills of the central Himalayas JF - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics N2 - The SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley-Atmospheric Brown Clouds) international air pollution measurement campaign was carried out from December 2012 to June 2013 in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The Kathmandu Valley is a bowl-shaped basin with a severe air pollution problem. This paper reports measurements of two major greenhouse gases (GHGs), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), along with the pollutant CO, that began during the campaign and were extended for 1 year at the SusKat-ABC supersite in Bode, a semi-urban location in the Kathmandu Valley. Simultaneous measurements were also made during 2015 in Bode and a nearby rural site (Chanban) similar to 25 km (aerial distance) to the southwest of Bode on the other side of a tall ridge. The ambient mixing ratios of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, and carbon monoxide (CO) were measured with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (G2401; Picarro, USA) along with meteorological parameters for 1 year (March 2013-March 2014). These measurements are the first of their kind in the central Himalayan foothills. At Bode, the annual average mixing ratios of CO2 and CH4 were 419.3 (+/- 6.0) ppm and 2.192 (+/- 0.066) ppm, respectively. These values are higher than the levels observed at background sites such as Mauna Loa, USA (CO2: 396.8 +/- 2.0 ppm, CH4: 1.831 +/- 0.110 ppm) and Waliguan, China (CO2: 397.7 +/- 3.6 ppm, CH4: 1.879 +/- 0.009 ppm) during the same period and at other urban and semi-urban sites in the region, such as Ahmedabad and Shadnagar (India). They varied slightly across the seasons at Bode, with seasonal average CH4 mixing ratios of 2.157 (+/- 0.230) ppm in the pre-monsoon season, 2.199 (+/- 0.241) ppm in the monsoon, 2.210 (+/- 0.200) ppm in the post-monsoon, and 2.214 (+/- 0.209) ppm in the winter season. The average CO2 mixing ratios were 426.2 (+/- 25.5) ppm in the pre-monsoon, 413.5 (+/- 24.2) ppm in the monsoon, 417.3 (+/- 23.1) ppm in the postmonsoon, and 421.9 (+/- 20.3) ppm in the winter season. The maximum seasonal mean mixing ratio of CH4 in winter was only 0.057 ppm or 2.6% higher than the seasonal minimum during the pre-monsoon period, while CO2 was 12.8 ppm or 3.1% higher during the pre-monsoon period (seasonal maximum) than during the monsoon (seasonal minimum). On the other hand, the CO mixing ratio at Bode was 191% higher during the winter than during the monsoon season. The enhancement in CO2 mixing ratios during the pre-monsoon season is associated with additional CO2 emissions from forest fires and agro-residue burning in northern South Asia in addition to local emissions in the Kathmandu Valley. Published CO = CO2 ratios of different emission sources in Nepal and India were compared with the observed CO = CO2 ratios in this study. This comparison suggested that the major sources in the Kathmandu Valley were residential cooking and vehicle exhaust in all seasons except winter. In winter, brick kiln emissions were a major source. Simultaneous measurements in Bode and Chanban (15 July-3 October 2015) revealed that the mixing ratios of CO2, CH4, and CO were 3.8, 12, and 64% higher in Bode than Chanban. The Kathmandu Valley thus has significant emissions from local sources, which can also be attributed to its bowl-shaped geography that is conducive to pollution build-up. At Bode, all three gas species (CO2, CH4, and CO) showed strong diurnal patterns in their mixing ratios with a pronounced morning peak (ca. 08:00), a dip in the afternoon, and a gradual increase again through the night until the next morning. CH4 and CO at Chanban, however, did not show any noticeable diurnal variations. These measurements provide the first insights into the diurnal and seasonal variation in key greenhouse gases and air pollutants and their local and regional sources, which is important information for atmospheric research in the region. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-12573-2017 SN - 1680-7316 SN - 1680-7324 VL - 17 IS - 20 SP - 12573 EP - 12596 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mahata, Khadak Singh A1 - Rupakheti, Maheswar A1 - Panday, Arnico Kumar A1 - Bhardwaj, Piyush A1 - Naja, Manish A1 - Singh, Ashish A1 - Mues, Andrea A1 - Cristofanelli, Paolo A1 - Pudasainee, Deepak A1 - Bonasoni, Paolo A1 - Lawrence, Mark T1 - Observation and analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics of surface ozone and carbon monoxide at multiple sites in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal JF - Atmosheric chemistry and physics N2 - It was lower during the monsoon due to rainfall, which reduces open burning activities within the valley and in the surrounding regions and thus reduces sources of CO. The meteorology of the valley also played a key role in determining the CO mixing ratios. The wind is calm and easterly in the shallow mixing layer, with a mixing layer height (MLH) of about 250 m, during the night and early morning. The MLH slowly increases after sunrise and decreases in the afternoon. As a result, the westerly wind becomes active and reduces the mixing ratio during the daytime. Furthermore, there was evidence of an increase in the O-3 mixing ratios in the Kathmandu Valley as a result of emissions in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region, particularly from biomass burning including agroresidue burning. A top-down estimate of the CO emission flux was made by using the CO mixing ratio and mixing layer height measured at Bode. The estimated annual CO flux at Bode was 4.9 mu g M-2 s(-1), which is 2-14 times higher than that in widely used emission inventory databases (EDGAR HTAP, REAS and INTEX-B). This difference in CO flux between Bode and other emission databases likely arises from large uncertainties in both the top-down and bottom-up approaches to estimating the emission flux. The O-3 mixing ratio was found to be highest during the premonsoon season at all sites, while the timing of the seasonal minimum varied across the sites. The daily maximum 8 h average O-3 exceeded the WHO recommended guideline of 50 ppb on more days at the hilltop station of Nagarkot (159 out of 357 days) than at the urban valley bottom sites of Paknajol (132 out of 354 days) and Bode (102 out of 353 days), presumably due to the influence of free-tropospheric air at the high-altitude site (as also indicated by Putero et al., 2015, for the Paknajol site in the Kathmandu Valley) as well as to titration of O-3 by fresh NOx emissions near the urban sites. More than 78 % of the exceedance days were during the premonsoon period at all sites. The high O-3 mixing ratio observed during the premonsoon period is of a concern for human health and ecosystems, including agroecosystems in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14113-2018 SN - 1680-7316 SN - 1680-7324 VL - 18 IS - 19 SP - 14113 EP - 14132 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - THES A1 - Mahata, Khadak Singh T1 - Spatiotemporal variations of key air pollutants and greenhouse gases in the Himalayan foothills T1 - Raumzeitliche Variationen der wichtigsten Luftschadstoffe und Treibhausgase in den Ausläufern des Himalaya N2 - South Asia is a rapidly developing, densely populated and highly polluted region that is facing the impacts of increasing air pollution and climate change, and yet it remains one of the least studied regions of the world scientifically. In recognition of this situation, this thesis focuses on studying (i) the spatial and temporal variation of key greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) and air pollutants (CO and O3) and (ii) the vertical distribution of air pollutants (PM, BC) in the foothills of the Himalaya. Five sites were selected in the Kathmandu Valley, the capital region of Nepal, along with two sites outside of the valley in the Makawanpur and Kaski districts, and conducted measurements during the period of 2013-2014 and 2016. These measurements are analyzed in this thesis. The CO measurements at multiple sites in the Kathmandu Valley showed a clear diurnal cycle: morning and evening levels were high, with an afternoon dip. There are slight differences in the diurnal cycles of CO2 and CH4, with the CO2 and CH4 mixing ratios increasing after the afternoon dip, until the morning peak the next day. The mixing layer height (MLH) of the nocturnal stable layer is relatively constant (~ 200 m) during the night, after which it transitions to a convective mixing layer during the day and the MLH increases up to 1200 m in the afternoon. Pollutants are thus largely trapped in the valley from the evening until sunrise the following day, and the concentration of pollutants increases due to emissions during the night. During afternoon, the pollutants are diluted due to the circulation by the valley winds after the break-up of the mixing layer. The major emission sources of GHGs and air pollutants in the valley are transport sector, residential cooking, brick kilns, trash burning, and agro-residue burning. Brick industries are influential in the winter and pre-monsoon season. The contribution of regional forest fires and agro-residue burning are seen during the pre-monsoon season. In addition, relatively higher CO values were also observed at the valley outskirts (Bhimdhunga and Naikhandi), which indicates the contribution of regional emission sources. This was also supported by the presence of higher concentrations of O3 during the pre-monsoon season. The mixing ratios of CO2 (419.3 ±6.0 ppm) and CH4 (2.192 ±0.066 ppm) in the valley were much higher than at background sites, including the Mauna Loa observatory (CO2: 396.8 ± 2.0 ppm, CH4:1.831 ± 0.110 ppm) and Waligaun (CO2: 397.7 ± 3.6 ppm, CH4: 1.879 ± 0.009 ppm), China, as well as at an urban site Shadnagar (CH4: 1.92 ± 0.07 ppm) in India. The daily 8 hour maximum O3 average in the Kathmandu Valley exceeds the WHO recommended value during more than 80% of the days during the pre-monsoon period, which represents a significant risk for human health and ecosystems in the region. Moreover, in the measurements of the vertical distribution of particulate matter, which were made using an ultralight aircraft, and are the first of their kind in the region, an elevated polluted layer at around ca. 3000 m asl. was detected over the Pokhara Valley. The layer could be associated with the large-scale regional transport of pollution. These contributions towards understanding the distributions of key air pollutants and their main sources will provide helpful information for developing management plans and policies to help reduce the risks for the millions of people living in the region. N2 - Südasien ist eine sich schnell entwickelnde, dicht besiedelte und stark umweltbelastete Region, die mit den Auswirkungen der zunehmenden Luftverschmutzung und des Klimawandels konfrontiert ist, und dennoch bleibt sie wissenschaftlich gesehen eine der am wenigsten untersuchten Regionen der Welt. In Anerkennung dieser Situation liegt der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit auf der Untersuchung (i) der räumlichen und zeitlichen Variation der wichtigsten Treibhausgase (CO2 und CH4) und Luftschadstoffe (CO und O3) und (ii) der vertikalen Verteilung der Luftverschmutzung (PM, BC) in den Vorgebirgen des Himalayas. Fünf Standorte wurden im Kathmandu-Tal, der Hauptstadtregion Nepals, sowie zwei Standorte außerhalb des Tals in den Distrikten Makawanpur und Kaski ausgewählt und im Zeitraum 2013-2014 und 2016 wurden Messungen durchgeführt. Diese Messungen werden in dieser Arbeit analysiert. Die CO-Messungen an mehreren Standorten im Kathmandu-Tal zeigten einen klaren Tagesablauf: Die Werte am Morgen und am Abend waren hoch, mit einem Rückgang am Nachmittag. Es gibt leichte Unterschiede in den Tageszyklen von CO2 und CH4, wobei die Mischungsverhältnisse von CO2 und CH4 nach dem Nachmittagsdip bis zu den höchsten Werten am nächsten Morgen zunehmen. Die Höhe der nächtlichen stabilen planetaren Grenzschicht ist relativ konstant (~ 200 m), danach geht sie tagsüber in eine konvektive Mischschicht über und die MLH ("Mixing layer height") steigt am Nachmittag auf bis zu 1400 m an. So werden Schadstoffe vom Abend bis zum Sonnenaufgang des folgenden Tages weitgehend im Tal gefangen, und die Schadstoffkonzentration steigt durch nächtliche Emissionen an. Während des Nachmittags werden die Schadstoffe aufgrund der Zirkulation durch die Talwinde nach dem Aufbrechen der Mischschicht verdünnt. Die Hauptemissionsquellen für GHGs und Luftschadstoffe im Tal sind der Verkehrssektor, das Kochen in privaten Haushalten, Ziegeleien, die Müllverbrennung und die Verbrennung von landwirtschaftlichen Reststoffen. Die Ziegelindustrie ist in der Winter- und Vormonsunzeit von großer Bedeutung für die Emissionen von Ruß. Der Beitrag der regionalen Waldbrände und der Verbrennung von landwirtschaftlichen Reststoffen ist besonders wichtig in der Vormonsunzeit. Darüber hinaus wurden auch am Talrand (Bhimdhunga und Naikhandi) relativ hohe CO-Werte beobachtet, was auf den Beitrag der regionalen Emissionsquellen hinweist. Dies wurde auch durch das Vorhandensein höherer Konzentrationen von O3 während der Vormonsunzeit unterstützt. Die Mischungsverhältnisse von CO2 (419,3 ±6,0 ppmv) und CH4 (2.192 ±0,066 ppmv) im Tal waren viel höher als an bekannten Hintergrundstandorten, darunter das Observatorium Mauna Loa (CO2: 396,8 ± 2,0 ppmv, CH4:1.831 ± 0,110 ppmv) und Waligaun (CO2: 397,7 ± 3,6 ppmv, CH4: 1,879 ± 0,009 ppmv), China, sowie an einem städtischen Standort Shadnagar (CH4: 1,92 ± 0,07 ppmv) in Indien. Der tägliche 8-stündige maximale O3-Durchschnitt im Kathmandu-Tal übersteigt den WHO-Empfehlungswert an mehr als 80% der Tage während der Vormonsunzeit, was ein erhebliches Risiko für die menschliche Gesundheit und die Ökosysteme in der Region darstellt. Darüber hinaus wurde bei den Messungen der vertikalen Verteilung der Feinstaubpartikel, die mit einem Ultraleichtflugzeug durchgeführt wurden und die ersten ihrer Art in der Region sind, eine höherliegende verschmutzte Schicht, ca. 3000 m über dem mittleren Meeresspiegel über dem Pokhara-Tal, festgestellt. Die Schicht könnte mit dem großräumigen regionalen Transport von Schadstoffen in Verbindung gebracht werden. Diese Beiträge zum Verständnis der Verteilung der wichtigsten Luftschadstoffe und ihrer Hauptquellen werden hilfreiche Informationen für die Entwicklung von Mitigationsplänen und -strategien liefern, die dazu beitragen, die Risiken für die Millionen von Menschen, die in der Region leben, zu verringern. KW - Air pollution KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Himalayan foothills KW - Luftverschmutzung KW - Treibhausgase KW - Ausläufer des Himalaya Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-519910 ER -