Unveiling the effects of post-monsoon agricultural biomass burning on aerosols, clouds, and radiation in Northwest India

作者：Pradeep Khatri, Tadahiro Hayasaka, Prabir K. Patra, Husi Letu, Hiren Jethva, Sachiko Hayashida · 发表于：Progress in Earth and Planetary Science · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s40645-025-00685-8 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols、Atmospheric aerosols and clouds、Fire effects on ecosystems

Abstract The post-monsoon agricultural biomass burning activities in Northwest India have been recognized as a significant socio-environmental problem in recent years, primarily due to their severe impacts on air quality degradation across a wide area, including the capital New Delhi. Although these biomass burning activities have been extensively studied from an air quality perspective, their potential impacts on the climate system, particularly through their influences on cloud and radiation fields, have been largely overlooked. In this study, we aim to address this research gap by analyzing fire, meteorological parameters, aerosol, cloud, and radiation data spanning nearly two decades (2002–2021), obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite, Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), and the Fifth Generation of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis (ERA5). Our analysis reveals a notable increase in agricultural biomass burning intensity in Northwest India over the past two decades, contributing significantly to air quality degradation. Our analysis further indicates a delay in peak burning time (day of the year) and a shortening of the period of intense burning, reflecting changes in farming practices and agricultural biomass burning in Northwest India over the past two decades. These agricultural biomass burning activities substantially elevate tota...