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Xie F, Lin YC, Ren L, Gul C, Wang JQ, Cao F, Zhang YX, Xie T, Wu JY, Zhang YL. Decrease of atmospheric black carbon and CO 2 concentrations due to COVID-19 lockdown at the Mt. Waliguan WMO/GAW baseline station in China. Environ Res 2022; 211:112984. [PMID: 35245534 PMCID: PMC8887961 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.112984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown policy reduced anthropogenic emissions and impacted the atmospheric chemical characteristics in Chinese urban cities. However, rare studies were conducted at the high mountain site. In this work, in-situ measurements of light absorption by carbonaceous aerosols and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations were conducted at Waliguan (WLG) over the northeastern Tibetan Plateau of China from January 3 to March 30, 2020. The data was employed to explore the influence of the COVID-19 lockdown on atmospheric chemistry in the background-free troposphere. During the sampling period, the light absorption near-infrared (>470 nm) was mainly contributed by BC (>72%), however, BC and brown carbon (BrC) contributed equally to light absorption in the short wavelength (∼350 nm). The average BC concentrations in the pre-, during and post-lockdown were 0.28 ± 0.25, 0.18 ± 0.16, and 0.28 ± 0.20 μg m-3, respectively, which decreased by approximately 35% during the lockdown period. Meanwhile, CO2 also showed slight decreases during the lockdown period. The declined BC was profoundly attributed to the reduced emissions (∼86%), especially for the combustion of fossil fuels. Moreover, the declined light absorption of BC, primary and secondary BrC decreased the solar energy absorbance by 35, 15, and 14%, respectively. The concentration weighted trajectories (CWT) analysis suggested that the decreased BC and CO2 at WLG were exclusively associated with the emission reduction in the eastern region of WLG. Our results highlighted that the reduced anthropogenic emissions attributed to the lockdown in the urban cities did impact the atmospheric chemistry in the free troposphere of the Tibetan Plateau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Xie
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Yu-Chi Lin
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Lei Ren
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Mt. Waliguan Background Station, China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Qinghai, China
| | - Chaman Gul
- Reading Academy, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210044, China
| | - Jian-Qiong Wang
- Mt. Waliguan Background Station, China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Qinghai, China
| | - Fang Cao
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Yi-Xuan Zhang
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Tian Xie
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Ji-Yan Wu
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Yan-Lin Zhang
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China.
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Hong Y, Cao F, Fan MY, Lin YC, Gul C, Yu M, Wu X, Zhai X, Zhang YL. Impacts of chemical degradation of levoglucosan on quantifying biomass burning contribution to carbonaceous aerosols: A case study in Northeast China. Sci Total Environ 2022; 819:152007. [PMID: 34856277 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Biomass burning (BB) is an important source of carbonaceous aerosols in Northeast China (NEC). Quantifying the original contribution of BB to organic carbon (OC) [BB-OC] can provide an essential scientific information for the policy-makers to formulate the control measures to improve the air quality in the NEC region. Daily PM2.5 samples were collected in the rural area of Changchun city over the NEC region from May 2017 to May 2018. In addition to carbon contents, BB tracers (e.g., levoglucosan and K+BB, defined as potassium from BB) were also determined, in order to investigate the relative contribution of BB-OC. The results showed that OC was the dominant (28%) components of PM2.5 during the sampling period. Higher concentrations of OC, levoglucosan, and K+BB were observed in the autumn followed by the winter, spring, and summer, indicating that the higher BB activities during autumn and winter in Changchun. By using the Bayesian mixing model, it was found that burning of crop residues were the dominant source (65-79%) of the BB aerosols in Changchun. During the sampling period, the aging in air mass (AAM) ratio was 0.14, indicating that ~86% of levoglucosan in Changchun was degraded. Without considering the degradation of levoglucosan in the atmosphere, the BB-OC ratios were 23%, 28%, 7%, and 4% in the autumn, winter, spring, and summer, respectively, which were 1.4-4.8 time lower than those (14-42%) with consideration of levoglucosan degradation. This illustrated that the relative contribution of BB to OC would be underestimated (~59%) without considering degradation effects of levoglucosan. Although some uncertainty was existed in our estimation, our results did highlight that the control of straw burning was an efficient way to decrease the airborne PM2.5, improving the air quality in the NEC plain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihang Hong
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Fang Cao
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
| | - Mei-Yi Fan
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Yu-Chi Lin
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Chaman Gul
- Reading Academy, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210044, China
| | - Mingyuan Yu
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Xia Wu
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Xiaoyao Zhai
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Yan-Lin Zhang
- Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, International Joint Laboratory on Climate and Environment Change, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Key Laboratory Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education & Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
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Maharjan L, Kang S, Tripathee L, Gul C, Zheng H, Li Q, Chen P, Rai M, Santos E. Atmospheric particle-bound polycyclic aromatic compounds over two distinct sites in Pakistan: Characteristics, sources and health risk assessment. J Environ Sci (China) 2022; 112:1-15. [PMID: 34955192 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2021.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Much attention is drawn to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as an air pollutant due to their toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Therefore, to understand the levels, seasonality, sources and potential health risk of PAHs in two distinct geographical locations at Karachi and Mardan in Pakistan, total suspended particle (TSP) samples were collected for over one year period. The average total PAH concentrations were 31.5 ± 24.4 and 199 ± 229 ng/m3 in Karachi and Mardan, respectively. The significantly lower concentration in Karachi was attributed to diffusion and dilution of the PAHs by the influence of clean air mass from the Arabian sea and high temperature, enhancing the volatilization of the particle phase PAHs to the gas phase. Conversely, the higher concentration (~6 times) in Mardan was due to large influence from local and regional emission sources. A clear seasonality was observed at both the sites, with the higher values in winter and post-monsoon due to higher emissions and less scavenging, and lower values during monsoon season due to the dilution effect. Diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis indicated that PAHs in both sites originated from traffic and mixed combustion sources (fossil fuels and biomass). The average total BaP equivalent concentrations (BaPeq) in Karachi and Mardan were 3.26 and 34 ng/m3, respectively, which were much higher than the WHO guideline of 1 ng/m3. The average estimates of incremental lifetime cancer risk from exposure to airborne BaPeq via inhalation indicated a risk to human health from atmospheric PAHs at both sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Maharjan
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shichang Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Lekhendra Tripathee
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Himalayan Environment Research Institute, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal.
| | - Chaman Gul
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Reading Academy, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210044, China
| | - Huijun Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Quanlian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Pengfei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Mukesh Rai
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ewerton Santos
- Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe SE 49100-000, Brazil
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Gul C, Mahapatra PS, Kang S, Singh PK, Wu X, He C, Kumar R, Rai M, Xu Y, Puppala SP. Black carbon concentration in the central Himalayas: Impact on glacier melt and potential source contribution. Environ Pollut 2021; 275:116544. [PMID: 33609859 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study discusses year-long (October 2016-September 2017) observations of atmospheric black carbon (BC) mass concentration, its source and sector contributions using a chemical transport model at a high-altitude (28°12'49.21″N, 85°36'33.77″E, 4900 masl) site located near the Yala Glacier in the central Himalayas, Nepal. During a field campaign, fresh snow samples were collected from the surface of the Yala Glacier in May 2017, which were analysed for BC and water-insoluble organic carbon mass concentration in order to estimate the scavenging ratio and surface albedo reduction. The maximum BC mass concentration in the ambient atmosphere (0.73 μg m-3) was recorded in the pre-monsoon season. The BC and water-insoluble organic carbon analysed from the snow samples were in the range of 96-542 ng g-1 and 152-827 ng g-1, respectively. The source apportionment study using the absorption Ångström exponent from in situ observations indicated approximately 44% contribution of BC from biomass-burning sources and the remainder from fossil-fuel sources during the entire study period. The source contribution study, using model data sets, indicated ∼14% contribution of BC from open-burning and ∼77% from anthropogenic sources during the study period. Our analysis of regional contributions of BC indicated that the highest contribution was from both Nepal and India combined, followed by China, while the rest was distributed among the nearby countries. The surface snow albedo reduction, estimated by an online model - Snow, Ice, and Aerosol Radiation - was in the range of 0.8-3.8% during the pre-monsoon season. The glacier mass balance analysis suggested that BC contributed to approximately 39% of the total mass loss in the pre-monsoon season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaman Gul
- International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal; State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 73000, China; Reading Academy, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210044, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Parth Sarathi Mahapatra
- International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Shichang Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 73000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; CAS Centre for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Praveen Kumar Singh
- International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal; Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, 247667, India
| | - Xiaokang Wu
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Cenlin He
- Advanced Study Program and Research Applications Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA; Research Applications Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 1850 Table Mesa Dr, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
| | - Rajesh Kumar
- Research Applications Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 1850 Table Mesa Dr, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
| | - Mukesh Rai
- International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal; State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 73000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yangyang Xu
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Siva Praveen Puppala
- International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal.
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Chen P, Kang S, Gul C, Tripathee L, Wang X, Hu Z, Li C, Pu T. Seasonality of carbonaceous aerosol composition and light absorption properties in Karachi, Pakistan. J Environ Sci (China) 2020; 90:286-296. [PMID: 32081324 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2019.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Characteristics of carbonaceous aerosol (CA) and its light absorption properties are limited in Karachi, which is one of the most polluted metropolitan cities in South Asia. This study presents a comprehensive measurement of seasonality of CA compositions and mass absorption cross-section (MAC) of elemental carbon (EC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in total suspended particles (TSP) collected from February 2015 to March 2017 in the southwest part of Karachi. The average TSP, organic carbon (OC), and EC concentrations were extremely high with values as 391.0 ± 217.0, 37.2 ± 28.0, and 8.53 ± 6.97 μg/m3, respectively. These components showed clear seasonal variations with high concentrations occurring during fall and winter followed by spring and summer. SO42-, NO3-, K+, and NH4+ showed similar variations with CA, implying the significant influence on atmospheric pollutants from anthropogenic activities. Relatively lower OC/EC ratio (4.20 ± 2.50) compared with remote regions further indicates fossil fuel combustion as a primary source of CA. Meanwhile, sea salt and soil dust are important contribution sources for TSP. The average MAC of EC (632 nm) and WSOC (365 nm) were 6.56 ± 2.70 and 0.97 ± 0.37 m2/g, respectively. MACEC is comparable to that in urban areas but lower than that in remote regions, indicating the significant influence of local emissions. MACWSOC showed opposite distribution with EC, further suggesting that OC was significantly affected by local fossil fuel combustion. In addition, dust might be an important factor increasing MACWSOC particularly during spring and summer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shichang Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Chaman Gul
- Reading Academy, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210044, China
| | - Lekhendra Tripathee
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaoxiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zhaofu Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Chaoliu Li
- CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Tao Pu
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, China
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Chen P, Kang S, Li C, Zhang Q, Guo J, Tripathee L, Zhang Y, Li G, Gul C, Cong Z, Wan X, Niu H, Panday AK, Rupakheti M, Ji Z. Carbonaceous aerosol characteristics on the Third Pole: A primary study based on the Atmospheric Pollution and Cryospheric Change (APCC) network. Environ Pollut 2019; 253:49-60. [PMID: 31302402 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.06.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Carbonaceous aerosols (CAs) scatter and absorb incident solar radiation in the atmosphere, thereby influencing the regional climate and hydrological cycle, particularly in the Third Pole (TP). Here, we present the characteristics of CAs at 19 observation stations from the Atmospheric Pollution and Cryospheric Change network to obtain a deep understanding of pollutant status in the TP. The organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations decreased noticeably inwards from outside to inland of the TP, consistent with their emission load and also affected by transport process and meteorological condition. Urban areas, such as Kathmandu, Karachi, and Mardan, exhibited extremely high OC and EC concentrations, with low and high values occurring in the monsoon and non-monsoon seasons, respectively. However, remote regions inland the TP (e.g., Nam Co and Ngari) demonstrated much lower OC and EC concentrations. Different seasonal variations were observed between the southern and northern parts of the TP, suggesting differences in the patterns of pollutant sources and in distance from the sources between the two regions. In addition to the influence of long-range transported pollutants from the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), the TP was affected by local emissions (e.g., biomass burning). The OC/EC ratio also suggested that biomass burning was prevalent in the center TP, whereas the marginal sites (e.g., Jomsom, Dhunche, and Laohugou) were affected by fossil fuel combustion from the up-wind regions. The mass absorption cross-section of EC (MACEC) at 632 nm ranged from 6.56 to 14.7 m2 g-1, with an increasing trend from outside to inland of the TP. Urban areas had low MACEC values because such regions were mainly affected by local fresh emissions. In addition, large amount of brown carbon can decrease the MACEC values in cities of South Asia. Remote sites had high MACEC values because of the coating enhancement of aerosols. Influenced by emission, transport process, and weather condition, the CA concentrations and MACEC presented decreasing and increasing trends, respectively, from outside to inland of the TP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Shichang Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China; Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
| | - Chaoliu Li
- Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Qianggong Zhang
- Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Junming Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Lekhendra Tripathee
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yulan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Gang Li
- Arid Meteorological Research Institute, Lanzhou Meteorological Bureau, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Chaman Gul
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Zhiyuan Cong
- Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xin Wan
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Hewen Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Arnico K Panday
- International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, 44700, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | | | - Zhenming Ji
- School of Atmospheric Sciences, and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Climate Change and Natural Disaster Studies, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China; Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Guangdong, Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, China
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Israr M, Gul C, Rehman AU, Khan AS, Siyar M, Rahim S, Arshad M. Relationship Of Lipids, C-Reactive Protein And Sialic Acid In The Healthy Individuals. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2018; 30:213-216. [PMID: 29938421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Raised levels of cholesterol and triglycerides are major risk factors for atherosclerosis, which can lead to coronary heart disease. Both the CRP and Sialic Acid levels are elevated in response to acute as well as chronic inflammatory conditions. This study was conducted to determine the serum lipid profile, CRP and Sialic Acid levels and their relationship with each other in healthy individuals. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study performed by the Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (IBMS), Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar. Two hundred healthy subjects in the age group of 18-50 years of either gender was recruited through consecutive sampling. Blood sampling were taken from all the participants and analysed each for serum lipid profile, CRP and Sialic Acid levels through standardized methods. RESULTS A total of 200 individuals were included, 53.5% being male. Mean age was 33.39±9.76 years. Mean height was 167.86±10.8 cm. Mean weight was 66.87±11.39kg. Mean Hip-Waist ratio was 0.93±0.16 whereas mean BMI was 24.12±3.65. The simultaneous raised levels of serum lipids, CRP and Sialic Acid were observed more commonly in females as compared to males. CRP and Sialic Acid has got statistically significant correlation with HDL. Sialic Acid had statistically significant correlation with triglycerides in the study population with a significant p-value (<0.05), while having a non-significant correlation with total cholesterol and LDL. CRP had got significant correlation with total cholesterol and LDL and non-significant correlation with triglycerides. CONCLUSIONS The study showed that serum CRP and Sialic Acid had a significant negative correlation with serum HDL. A significant positive correlation was found between serum Sialic Acid and triglycerides. CRP and Sialic Acid though expensive but are useful predictors of atherosclerotic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Israr
- Department of Biochemistry, Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Chaman Gul
- Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | | | | | - Muhammad Siyar
- Department of Biochemistry, Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan, Pakistan
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Gul C, Marwat ZI, Israr M, Hanif R, Arshad M. C-Reactive Protein Level In Coronary Artery Disease And Its Correlation With Serum D-Dimer. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2016; 28:725-729. [PMID: 28586599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND C-reactive protein concentration has continuous associations with risk of coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke and death from several cancers. In addition, several studies have shown that CRP could be used to predict first ever myocardial infarction and stroke in healthy subjects, as well as outcome in acute setting. High levels of another biomarker, D-dimer, have been found to be independently associated with occurrence of coronary events. METHODS This correlational study was carried out at the Department of Cardiology, Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad, in collaboration with the department of Biochemistry Postgraduate Medical Institute Lahore from 15th July 2013 to 15th May 2014. Patients aged 30 years or more of either gender having coronary artery disease was included in the study. Their serum D-dimer levels and Creactive protein levels were measured for correlation with coronary artery disease. RESULTS A total of 50 patients of CAD were included in this study. Out of these 30 (60%) were males and 20 (40%) were females. Elevated CRP levels and D-dimer levels were noted in all of these patients. Pearson correlation coefficient test was performed on both CRP and D-dimer levels. Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to be r= -0.1522 and when a p value was calculated, it was found to be 0.292 which implied that the results were not significant. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that there is no correlation between CRP levels and D-dimer levels in patients with Coronary Artery Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaman Gul
- Department of Biochemistry, Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Mohammad Israr
- Department of Biochemistry, Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Ruhila Hanif
- Department of Biochemistry, Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Arshad
- Department of Biochemistry, Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan
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Besirbellioglu B, Gul C, Gorenek L, Eyigun CP, Hacibektasoglu A, Van Thiel DH. Interferon therapy of Turkish patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Hepatogastroenterology 1999; 46:387-90. [PMID: 10228827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS The efficacy of alpha interferon therapy in Turkish individuals with chronic hepatitis B virus infection was examined. METHODOLOGY Sixty-one patients (54 males and 7 females) were studied between 1992 and 1996. Their mean age was 33.4 years (range: 20-57). Each was treated with 4.5 million international units interferon alpha 3 times a week for 24 weeks. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and hepatitis B virus markers (HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBe, and HBV DNA) were monitored. A liver biopsy was obtained before and 6 months after the termination of interferon therapy. RESULTS Before treatment, the serum ALT level was elevated in all 61 subjects. Six months after the termination of therapy, 23 (38%) had a normal serum ALT level. In all patients, before the start of therapy and 6 months after the termination of therapy, HBsAg was detectable. In 36 (59%), HBeAg was present and anti-HBe was not detectable in serum before the initiation of therapy. In 12 (33%), the serum was negative for HBeAg and positive for anti-HBe 6 months after the termination of therapy. HBV DNA was detectable in all serum samples before the onset of therapy and disappeared in 14 (23%) patients, and continued to be undetectable 6 months after the termination of interferon therapy. Histological improvement defined by an improvement in the Knodell score of 2 points or more was observed in 38 (62%). CONCLUSIONS Interferon therapy eliminates serum markers of active hepatitis B virus infection (eAg and HBV DNA) and is associated with histological improvement in 30-60% of Turkish patients with chronic HBV infection. Interferon therapy did not eliminate sAg from the serum and the histologic improvement achieved was often incomplete.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Besirbellioglu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey
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