AN ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND THE AIR QUALITY PATTERN OF NORTH INDIAN CITIESERA UPADHYAY, JHUMOOR BISWAS, MUGDHA NAYAK, SAIKAT GHOSH, P. CHAITANYA AND MANALI DATTAAbstract Elevated aerosol concentrations extend to large densely populated cities of North India in addition of Delhi. In this study, Delhi and Lucknow are chosen as representative cities of urban North India and air quality is inter-compared for both intra-city and inter-city using statistical analyses to understand patterns of air pollutants, and gauge the extent of air pollution problem in North India. The average annual concentrations of PM2.5 range from 127 micro grams/m3 (Lucknow) to 140 micro grams/m3 (Delhi) far exceeding the NAAQS standards for all site categories; 24-hr average standards for particulate matter are also exceeded. PM2.5 concentrations of Lucknow match those of Delhi both in magnitude and distribution indicating impact of transboundary pollution as well. |