Identification and characterization the sources of aerosols over Jharkhand state and surrounding areas, India using AHP model

Abstract

The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) has measured using remote sensing and GIS methods, with MODIS data collected in Jharkhand from 2011 to 2017. The state's eastern and northern borders have greater aerosol loadings (AOD: >0.5) while the southern and western parts have lower aerosol loadings (AOD: <0.3). Primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary aerosol sources have been identified and categorized using the Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP). Only 1.29% of the study area, which still emits the most aerosols, is covered by primary sources. Industrial zones, mining regions, thermal power plants, cement industries, high road density, and stone crushers are found in many locations throughout the country. Secondary sources of aerosols account for 5.23% of the study and are located near the main sources. The quaternary (54.08%) and tertiary (39.4%) aerosol sources mainly covered the Southern, Western, and North-Western portions of the state, which is enveloped by a heavily vegetated region. AOD, sources of aerosols, wind direction, and velocity were examined here. There were non-separable connections in this area and also AOD distribution is connected to aerosol sources, wind direction, and wind velocity. Finally, it employs the AOD values to identify different aerosol kinds and source heterogeneity to elucidate their influence.

Keywords

• sources of aerosol
• aerosol optical depth
• remote sensing
• analytic hierarchical process
• wind direction
• wind velocity