Articles | Volume 19, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5615-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5615-2019
Research article
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30 Apr 2019
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 30 Apr 2019

Vertical and horizontal distribution of submicron aerosol chemical composition and physical characteristics across northern India during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons

James Brooks, James D. Allan, Paul I. Williams, Dantong Liu, Cathryn Fox, Jim Haywood, Justin M. Langridge, Ellie J. Highwood, Sobhan K. Kompalli, Debbie O'Sullivan, Suresh S. Babu, Sreedharan K. Satheesh, Andrew G. Turner, and Hugh Coe

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Cited articles

Allan, J. D., Jimenez, J. L., Williams, P. I., Alfarra, M. R., Bower, K. N., Jayne, J. T., Coe, H., and Worsnop, D. R.: Quantitative sampling using an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer 1. Techniques of data interpretation and error analysis, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 108, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002358, 2003. 
Allan, J. D., Delia, A. E., Coe, H., Bower, K. N., Alfarra, M. R., Jimenez, J. L., Middlebrook, A. M., Drewnick, F., Onasch, T. B., Canagaratna, M. R., and Jayne, J. T.: A generalised method for the extraction of chemically resolved mass spectra from Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer data, J. Aerosol Sci., 35, 909–922, 2004. 
Babu, S. S., Moorthy, K. K., Manchanda, R. K., Sinha, P. R., Satheesh, S. K., Vajja, D. P., Srinivasan, S., and Kumar, V. H.: Free tropospheric black carbon aerosol measurements using high altitude balloon: do BC layers build “their own homes” up in the atmosphere?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL046654, 2011. 
Babu, S. S., Nair, V. S., Gogoi, M. M., and Moorthy, K. K.: Seasonal variation of vertical distribution of aerosol single scattering albedo over Indian sub-continent: RAWEX aircraft observations, Atmos. Environ., 125, 312–323, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.09.041, 2016. 
Banerjee, T., Murari, V., Kumar, M., and Raju, M. P.: Source apportionment of airborne particulates through receptor modeling: Indian scenario, Atmos. Res., 164, 167e187, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2015.04.017, 2015. 
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Our study, for the first time, presents measurements of aerosol chemical composition and physical characteristics across northern India in the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons of 2016 using the FAAM BAe-146 UK research aircraft. Across northern India, an elevated aerosol layer dominated by sulfate aerosol exists that diminishes with monsoon arrival. The Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) boundary layer is dominated by organics, whereas outside the IGP sulfate dominates with increased scattering aerosol.
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