Articles | Volume 26, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13227-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13227-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Sep 2026
Research article |
| 21 Sep 2026
| 21 Sep 2026
Chemical characterization and source apportionment of carbonaceous aerosols during post-monsoon biomass burning and Diwali at an upwind site of Delhi
Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
Dilip Ganguly
Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
Jaswant Rathore
Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
Lokesh Kumar Sahu
Space and Atmospheric Sciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
Ravi Kumar Kunchala
Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
Sagnik Dey
Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3224, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3224, 2026
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A high-sensitivity balance, controlled temperature and relative humidity chamber, and filter samples collected around the world were used to develop a mass as a function of relative humidity relationship. We subsequently measured the chemical composition of these same samples. A relationship between the chemical composition and water mass was created and used to calculate aerosol water content showing how composition and water content varies worldwide.
Gaurav K. Srivastav, Aasif A. Wagay, Janne Lampilahti, Jaswant Rathore, Ravi K. Kunchala, Dilip Ganguly, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, Pauli Paasonen, Roseline C. Thakur, and Shahzad Gani
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2212, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2212, 2026
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Particle formation events affect climate and air quality. Using measurements of particle number concentrations down to very small particles (~3 nm) in polluted northern India, we show that these events occur frequently in summer under reduced background particle load. However, in this environment, emissions and changing air masses can mask or distort these events, making them difficult to detect. Such environments require adaptation of standard analytical methods used in cleaner regions.
Imran A. Girach, Mehul R. Pandya, Tabish Ansari, Sonam Angmo, Subrat Sharma, Bipasha Paul Shukla, Aditya Vaishya, Lokesh Kumar Sahu, Tim Butler, and Narendra Ojha
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3032, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3032, 2026
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We investigated variabilities in free-tropospheric ozone (O3) over the Trans-Himalaya, one of the most climate-sensitive regions. Daytime O3 buildup, a unique feature not observed over high-altitude mountains, is mainly governed by photochemistry and entrainment. Manmade NOx emitted outside South Asia is a larger contributor to O3. Seasonal cycle, shaped largely by stratospheric inputs and biogenic emissions of precursors, peaks in June, unlike April-May over the Himalaya and Gangatic regions.
Vimal Jose Vazhathara, Ravi Kumar Kunchala, Sajeev Philip, Jaswant Rathore, Dilip Ganguly, Sagnik Dey, Tomoki Nakayama, Yutaka Matsumi, and Prabir K. Patra
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 6929–6949, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6929-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6929-2026, 2026
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To address the lack of continuous ground-based CO2 measurements in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, we started ground-based measurements of atmospheric CO2 concentrations, for the very first time at Sonipat within the IGP. Based on these measurements, we examined the seasonal and diurnal patterns of atmospheric CO2. We found that the interplay of anthropogenic emissions, biospheric fluxes, and prevailing meteorology contributes to the observed high seasonal and diurnal variability of atmospheric CO2.
Ashutosh K. Shukla, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Shamitaksha Talukdar, Vishnu Murari, Sreenivas Gaddamidi, Manousos-Ioannis Manousakas, Vipul Lalchandani, Kuldeep Dixit, Vinayak M. Ruge, Peeyush Khare, Mayank Kumar, Vikram Singh, Neeraj Rastogi, Suresh Tiwari, Atul K. Srivastava, Dilip Ganguly, Kaspar Rudolf Daellenbach, and André S. H. Prévôt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3765–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025, 2025
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Our study delves into the elemental composition of aerosols at three sites across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), revealing distinct patterns during pollution episodes. We found significant increases in chlorine (Cl)-rich and solid fuel combustion (SFC) sources, indicating dynamic emission sources, agricultural burning impacts, and meteorological influences. Surges in Cl-rich particles during cold periods highlight their role in particle growth under high-relative-humidity conditions.
Wei Huang, Cheng Wu, Linyu Gao, Yvette Gramlich, Sophie L. Haslett, Joel Thornton, Felipe D. Lopez-Hilfiker, Ben H. Lee, Junwei Song, Harald Saathoff, Xiaoli Shen, Ramakrishna Ramisetty, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Dilip Ganguly, Feng Jiang, Magdalena Vallon, Siegfried Schobesberger, Taina Yli-Juuti, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2607–2624, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2607-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2607-2024, 2024
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We present distinct molecular composition and volatility of oxygenated organic aerosol particles in different rural, urban, and mountain environments. We do a comprehensive investigation of the relationship between the chemical composition and volatility of oxygenated organic aerosol particles across different systems and environments. This study provides implications for volatility descriptions of oxygenated organic aerosol particles in different model frameworks.
Meghna Soni, Rolf Sander, Lokesh K. Sahu, Domenico Taraborrelli, Pengfei Liu, Ankit Patel, Imran A. Girach, Andrea Pozzer, Sachin S. Gunthe, and Narendra Ojha
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15165–15180, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15165-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15165-2023, 2023
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The study presents the implementation of comprehensive multiphase chlorine chemistry in the box model CAABA/MECCA. Simulations for contrasting urban environments of Asia and Europe highlight the significant impacts of chlorine on atmospheric oxidation capacity and composition. Chemical processes governing the production and loss of chlorine-containing species has been discussed. The updated chemical mechanism will be useful to interpret field measurements and for future air quality studies.
Sophie L. Haslett, David M. Bell, Varun Kumar, Jay G. Slowik, Dongyu S. Wang, Suneeti Mishra, Neeraj Rastogi, Atinderpal Singh, Dilip Ganguly, Joel Thornton, Feixue Zheng, Yuanyuan Li, Wei Nie, Yongchun Liu, Wei Ma, Chao Yan, Markku Kulmala, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, David Hadden, Urs Baltensperger, Andre S. H. Prevot, Sachchida N. Tripathi, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9023–9036, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9023-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9023-2023, 2023
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In Delhi, some aspects of daytime and nighttime atmospheric chemistry are inverted, and parodoxically, vehicle emissions may be limiting other forms of particle production. This is because the nighttime emissions of nitrogen oxide (NO) by traffic and biomass burning prevent some chemical processes that would otherwise create even more particles and worsen the urban haze.
Vaishali Jain, Nidhi Tripathi, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Mansi Gupta, Lokesh K. Sahu, Vishnu Murari, Sreenivas Gaddamidi, Ashutosh K. Shukla, and Andre S. H. Prevot
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3383–3408, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3383-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3383-2023, 2023
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This research chemically characterises 173 different NMVOCs (non-methane volatile organic compounds) measured in real time for three seasons in the city of the central Indo-Gangetic basin of India, Lucknow. Receptor modelling is used to analyse probable sources of NMVOCs and their crucial role in forming ozone and secondary organic aerosols. It is observed that vehicular emissions and solid fuel combustion are the highest contributors to the emission of primary and secondary NMVOCs.
Sudipta Ghosh, Sagnik Dey, Sushant Das, Nicole Riemer, Graziano Giuliani, Dilip Ganguly, Chandra Venkataraman, Filippo Giorgi, Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Srikanthan Ramachandran, Thazhathakal Ayyappen Rajesh, Harish Gadhavi, and Atul Kumar Srivastava
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-1-2023, 2023
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Accurate representation of aerosols in climate models is critical for minimizing the uncertainty in climate projections. Here, we implement region-specific emission fluxes and a more accurate scheme for carbonaceous aerosol ageing processes in a regional climate model (RegCM4) and show that it improves model performance significantly against in situ, reanalysis, and satellite data over the Indian subcontinent. We recommend improving the model performance before using them for climate studies.
Varun Kumar, Stamatios Giannoukos, Sophie L. Haslett, Yandong Tong, Atinderpal Singh, Amelie Bertrand, Chuan Ping Lee, Dongyu S. Wang, Deepika Bhattu, Giulia Stefenelli, Jay S. Dave, Joseph V. Puthussery, Lu Qi, Pawan Vats, Pragati Rai, Roberto Casotto, Rangu Satish, Suneeti Mishra, Veronika Pospisilova, Claudia Mohr, David M. Bell, Dilip Ganguly, Vishal Verma, Neeraj Rastogi, Urs Baltensperger, Sachchida N. Tripathi, André S. H. Prévôt, and Jay G. Slowik
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7739–7761, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7739-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7739-2022, 2022
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Here we present source apportionment results from the first field deployment in Delhi of an extractive electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (EESI-TOF). The EESI-TOF is a recently developed instrument capable of providing uniquely detailed online chemical characterization of organic aerosol (OA), in particular the secondary OA (SOA) fraction. Here, we are able to apportion not only primary OA but also SOA to specific sources, which is performed for the first time in Delhi.
Pawan Gupta, Prakash Doraiswamy, Jashwanth Reddy, Palak Balyan, Sagnik Dey, Ryan Chartier, Adeel Khan, Karmann Riter, Brandon Feenstra, Robert C. Levy, Nhu Nguyen Minh Tran, Olga Pikelnaya, Kurinji Selvaraj, Tanushree Ganguly, and Karthik Ganesan
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2022-140, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2022-140, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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The use of low-cost sensors in air quality monitoring has been gaining interest across all walks of society. We present the results of evaluations of the PurpleAir against regulatory-grade PM2.5. The results indicate that with proper calibration, we can achieve bias-corrected PM2.5 data using PA sensors. Our study also suggests that pre-deployment calibrations developed at local or regional scales are required for the PA sensors to correct data from the field for scientific data analysis.
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Short summary
Each post-monsoon season, northern India faces severe air pollution, especially around Delhi, largely linked to crop residue burning and stagnant weather. We measured air pollution in Sonipat, northwest of Delhi, along the pathway of incoming smoke. Fine particle levels were extremely high and mainly made of carbon-rich particles from crop burning and solid fuels. Much of this pollution formed before reaching Delhi, showing regional sources drive the city’s severe haze.
Each post-monsoon season, northern India faces severe air pollution, especially around Delhi,...
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