Research Projects

Atmospheric aerosols' chemical constituents vary significantly across urban areas due to various emission sources and meteorological conditions. Organic aerosols are significant contributors to emissions levels, health, and climate impacts. The morphology and composition of particulate matter play a significant role in determining atmospheric suspension, chemical transformations, and optical properties. Understanding the particle composition and source can be achieved by identifying emission sources, chemical composition, morphological and spectral identities in the region and their advection to different regions. Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region (NCR) have a population of around 50 million, and rapid human activities have degraded air quality, contributing to numerous diseases. Smaller particles, such as PM2.5, can penetrate deeper into the lungs, exceeding the WHO guideline level by 14 times. Long periods of exposure to PM2.5 increase the risk of premature death. Recent studies have reported ambient levels of PM, CO, NH3, NOx, SO2, and O3 in the NCR, but no single sector is solely responsible for air quality. This project proposes two sites (IGDTUW & CSIR-NPL) in Delhi and one site outside Delhi (JCBUST, YMCA, Haryana) to continuously monitor and evaluate spatio-temporal chemical and morphological features of PM2.5 to understand source-specific particle-types (anthropogenic, biogenic, and geogenic) and help in identifying and quantifying major and minor sources of pollution in the region.