What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to investigate the seasonal patterns and source origins of carbonaceous aerosols in Jammu, North-Western Himalayas.

March 25, 2026Open Access

Seasonal Dynamics and Source Fingerprinting of Urban PM2.5 Carbonaceous Aerosols in the North-Western Himalayas

Key Points

The aim is to investigate the seasonal patterns and source origins of carbonaceous aerosols in Jammu, North-Western Himalayas.
Conducted a year-long study in Jammu.
Collected PM2.5 samples every third day across five urban sites.
Analyzed samples for organic and elemental carbon using lab equipment.
Applied statistical tests (ANOVA) on concentration data to identify variations.
Used positive matrix factorization to delineate PM2.5 sources.
Annual carbon contributions were 32% total carbon, 26% organic carbon, and 5% elemental carbon.
Significant seasonal variations in carbon concentrations were detected (p < 0.05).
Biomass burning identified as a major source, especially in summer and autumn.
Four primary sources of PM2.5 identified: vehicles, heavy emissions, biomass burning, and unidentified sources.

Abstract

To explore spatio-temporal dynamics and source fingerprinting of carbonaceous aerosols (CAs), a systematic year-long study was conducted in the urban environment of Jammu region, North-Western Himalayas. PM2.5 samples were collected every third day using volume flow-controlled high-volume samplers simultaneously across five distinct land-use sites. Around 600 PM2.5 samples were analyzed for Organic Carbon (OC) and Elemental Carbon (EC) using a lab OC-EC aerosol analyzer while non-sea-salt-K+ (nss-K+) was measured using Ion Chromatography system. On annual basis, Total Carbon (TC), OC and EC contributed 32 ± 13%, 26 ± 10% and 5 ± 4% to PM2.5 respectively. Results of ANOVA applied on concentration datasets of various carbon forms revealed statistically significant (p 0.5) between nss-K+ and OC further underscored biomass burning as a significant source. Additionally, nss-K+/OC and nss-K+/EC ratios indicated that tropical wood, charcoal and agricultural residue were the dominant type of biomass burnt and contributed CAs during summer-monsoon (JJA), winter December-January–February (DJF) and spring March–April-May (MAM) as well as autumn (SON) seasons, respectively. Positive Matrix Factorization analysis revealed four major sources of PM2.5-CAs viz light motor vehicles (22–47%), heavy commercial vehicles/high-capacity engine emissions (28–49%), biomass burning (16–56%) and unidentified/tar burning (12–15%). The Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) and Concentration Weighted Trajectory (CWT) analysis showed that the north-western neighbouring countries remains the potential source regions of PM2.5-CAs in Jammu.

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Cite This Study

Sharma et al. (Mon,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69c37aa8b34aaaeb1a67c84f https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s44408-026-00113-6

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