Publications

Putero, D.; Landi, T. C.; Cristofanelli, P.; Marinoni, A.; Laj, P.; Duchi, R.; Calzolari, F.; Verza, G. P.; Bonasoni, P. (2014). Influence of open vegetation fires on black carbon and ozone variability in the southern Himalayas (NCO-P, 5079 m a.s.l.). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, 184, 597-604.

Abstract
We analysed the variability of equivalent black carbon (BC) and ozone (O-3) at the global WMO/GAW station Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (NCO-P, 5079 m a.s.l.) in the southern Himalayas, for evaluating the possible contribution of open vegetation fires to the variability of these short-lived climate forcers/pollutants (SLCF/SLCP) in the Himalayan region.We found that 162 days (9% of the data-set) were characterised by acute pollution events with enhanced BC and O-3 in respect to the climatological values. By using satellite observations (MODIS fire products and the USGS Land Use Cover Characterization) and air mass back-trajectories, we deduced that 56% of these events were likely to be affected by emissions from open fires along the Himalayas foothills, the Indian Subcontinent and the Northern Indo-Gangetic Plain.These results suggest that open fire emissions are likely to play an important role in modulating seasonal and inter-annual BC and O-3 variability over south Himalayas. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI:
10.1016/j.envpol.2013.09.035

ISSN:
0269-7491; 1873-6424