A Comparison of Trace Gases and Particulate Matter over Beijing (China) and Delhi (India)

Zheng, Sheng; Singh, R. P.; Wu, Yuzhe; Wu, Cifang

A Comparison of Trace Gases and Particulate Matter over Beijing (China) and Delhi (India)

2017

Zheng, Sheng | Singh, R. P. (Ramesh P.) | Wu, Yuzhe | Wu, Cifang

Air pollution represents a significant fraction of the total mortality estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) global burden of disease project (GBD). The present paper discusses the characteristics of trace gases (O₃, NO, NO₂, and CO) and particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅) in two Asian megacities, Delhi (India) and Beijing (China). A continuous measurement of trace gases and particulate matter are considered from 12 measuring sites in Beijing and 8 sites in Delhi. Over Beijing, the annual average of PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, O₃, NO₂, and CO is, respectively, 85.3, 112.8, 58.7, and 53.4 μg/m³ and 1.4 mg/m³, and, respectively, over Delhi 146.5, 264.3, 24.7,and 19.8 μg/m³ and 1.73 mg/m³. From the spatial variations of pollutants, the concentrations of particulate matter and trace gases are observed to be much higher in the urban areas compared to the suburban areas. The higher average concentrations of PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ over Delhi and Beijing are observed during winter season compared with other seasons. The maximum diurnal variation of PM₁₀ concentration is observed during winter season over Beijing and Delhi. The comparison of trace gases shows that the O₃ concentrations during daytime are obviously higher compared with nighttime, and the highest diurnal variation of O₃ is observed during summer. The concentrations of CO are highest during winter season, and higher concentrations are observed during nighttime compared to daytime. The O₃ and CO show negative correlation over Beijing and Delhi. The negative correlation between O₃ and NO₂ is merely observed over Beijing, while CO and NO₂ concentrations, in contrast, show positive correlation over Beijing.

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