Research Projects

Atmospheric aerosols are solid or liquid droplets suspended in air. These tiny particles (ranging in size from a few nanometers to a hundred micrometres), are key contributors to practically all of the atmospheric and meteorological phenomena that take place in our environment. Aerosols in the terrestrial atmosphere can scatter or absorb solar radiation. The overall radiation balance is significantly impacted by light absorption. Light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols (LACs), which include black carbon (BC) and light-absorbing organic carbon (brown carbon, BrC), play a significant role in the Earth system by warming the atmosphere, dimming the surface, modifying the dynamics, lowering snow/ice albedo, and exerting positive radiative forcing. Energy absorbed by particles does not remain in them indefinitely, but rather radiates at longer wavelengths thus warm the atmosphere. The historical calamity that took place in June of 2013 was unique and unmatched in its severity. The impact was extremely violent, and as a result, a significant number of lives as well as buildings, vehicles, and other types of property were lost. The most devastating impact was felt in the Mandakini valley in the Rudraprayag district. This valley is home to the holy Hindu shrine of Lord Shiva at Kedarnath, which is widely venerated. After the tragedy, the government of Uttarakhand has accepted responsibility for revitalizing Kedarnath as a tourist destination. Tourism is an important industry in Uttarakhand due to its substantial contribution to both revenue generation and job creation. The environment and eco-system of the valley have undoubtedly been impacted by all of the developmental activities. The proposed project aims to address one of the key environmental issues related to the air pollution along the Mandakini Valley, with special reference to the renowned Char-Dham Yatra. Simultaneous in-situ measurements for optical characterization of atmospheric aerosols in five different wavelength ranges, namely ultraviolet, visible, and infrared (UV-VIS-IR), and meteorology in different microenvironments along the Mandakini valley in central Himalaya. The optical properties of fine aerosol particles will be studied, which could open up new research pathways in this area. In addition to on-site observations, a variety of remote sensing techniques and climate modeling will be used to figure out where the pollution is coming from. To address the extremely complex environmental and socio-economic challenges caused by climatic variability in the Himalayan region, it is an important initiative to understand the role of light absorbing aerosols involvement in upsetting the sensitive biodiversity and ecology of glacier valleys in the Himalayan region. The current research proposal is, to our knowledge, a one-of-a-kind effort to better understand the state of optical characteristics of aerosols in the Mandakini Glacier Valley.