Very high particulate pollution over northwest India captured by a high-density in situ sensor network

Exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 & mu;m in diameter (PM2.5) is a cause of concern in cities and major emission regions of northern India. An intensive field campaign involving the states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi national capital region (NCR) was conducted in 2022 using 29 Compact and Useful PM2.5 Instrument with Gas sensors (CUPI-Gs). Continuous observations show that the PM2.5 in the region increased gradually from < 60 & mu;g m(-3) in 6-10 October to up to 500 & mu;g m(-3) on 5-9 November, which subsequently decreased to about 100 & mu;g m(-3) in 20-30 November. Two distinct plumes of PM2.5 over 500 & mu;g m(-3) are tracked from crop residue burning in Punjab to Delhi NCR on 2-3 November and 10-11 November with delays of 1 and 3 days, respectively. Experimental campaign demonstrates the advantages of source region observations to link agricultural waste burning and air pollution at local to regional scales.

Automated summary

An intensive field campaign was conducted in 2022 in northern India, specifically in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi NCR, to study the exposure to PM2.5. The campaign utilized 29 Compact and Useful PM2.5 Instrument with Gas sensors (CUPI-Gs) for continuous observations. The study found that the PM2.5 levels in the region gradually increased from less than 60μg/m³ in October to up to 500μg/m³ in November, with two distinct plumes of PM2.5 exceeding 500μg/m³ traced back to crop residue burning in Punjab.