Seminar: The COALESCE Project, India: A Framework to Unravel the Air Quality and Climate Effects of Aerosols

Abstract:

This talk will commence with an overview of the Carbonaceous Aerosol Emissions, Source Apportionment and Climate Impacts (COALESCE) project, its organization, work elements and key hypotheses. The discussions will then focus on specific aspects of network design for aerosol sampling, chemical analyses, and source apportionment.

A large segment of this talk will be devoted to better understanding the nature and behavior of ambient fine particulate matter in India, using measurements made at Bhopal, central India, as an example. Bulk aerosol physio-chemical and optical characteristics, their temporal evolution and sources will be discussed. Also, the implications of COVID-19 induced lockdowns on aerosol characteristics over the study location will be outlined. Finally, snapshots of fine PM sources and their contributions across some network locations will be presented. This talk will conclude with expected outcomes of the COALESCE project and their implications for policy making.