Effect of Southwest Monsoon Withdrawal on Mass Loading and

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Effect of Southwest Monsoon Withdrawal on Mass Loading and Chemical Characteristics of Aerosols in an Urban City over the Indo-Gangetic Basin Sarwar Nizam, and Indra Sekhar Sen ACS Earth Space Chem., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/ acsearthspacechem.7b00140 • Publication Date (Web): 21 Feb 2018 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on February 26, 2018

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ACS Earth and Space Chemistry

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Effect of Southwest Monsoon Withdrawal on Mass Loading and Chemical Characteristics of Aerosols in an Urban City over the Indo-Gangetic Basin

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Sarwar Nizam1 & Indra S. Sen1*

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Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, UP 208016, India

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*To whom correspondence should be addressed: IIT Kanpur, Department of Earth Sciences, WLE 201, phone: +91-(0512) 6796440, fax: +91-(0512) 6797436, E-mail: [email protected]

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ABSTRACT

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The southwest monsoon rainfall not only provides water and food security over the IndoGangetic Basin, it also plays an important role in reducing atmospheric pollution by removing ambient partciles via wet deposition processes. In addition to rainfall, aerosol loading and its removal from ambient air is also governed by other meteorological parameters such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. In order to understand the effect of southwest monsoon withdrawal on aerosol loading over the Indo-Gangetic basin, airborne particles (PM10 size fraction) and meteorological parameters including temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, and wind direction data were collected between July and October 2015 at Kanpur, which is a large industrial city in the central part of the Indo-Gangetic Basin. The study shows that withdrawal of the southwest monsoon since July 2015 increased the aerosol loading in the ambient air by up to 28, 43 and 152% during August, September, and October respectively. The aerosol loading exceeded the ambient Indian National Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) limit of 100 µg/m-3 just within three months. In addition to increased aerosol mass loading, concentration of heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu and Cd) in the aerosols also increased with monsoon withdrawal. The only heavy metal that did not show an increasing trend was Pb, which indicates that Pb is either coming from local source(s) or that Pb was not efficiently scavenged by wet deposition processes. In general, Cd, Pb, and Cu concentrations were 10-1500 times higher when compared to upper continental crust and were mostly derived from coal burning products. The study shows that southwest monsoon strongly influence the physiochemical properties of aerosols over the Indo-Gangetic basin.

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Keywords: (Southwest monsoon, PM10 mass loading, Aerosols, Indo-Gangetic Basin, Physiochemical properties of aerosols)

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1. INTRODUCTION

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The southwest monsoon provides water and food security to a billion people in the Indo-

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Gangetic Basin (IGB). In addition to food and water security, it also plays an important role in

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reducing the concentrations of particulate matter suspended in the atmosphere.1,2 Concentrations

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of suspended particulate matter (PM) or aerosols have a strong connection to Earth’s climate and

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a direct connection to human health.3,4 For example, aerosols can directly affect Earth’s climate

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by reflecting, scattering, and absorbing the solar radiation, as well as indirectly by controlling

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cloud formation processes and perturbing the radiation budget.5,6,7 Similarly, aerosol-induced

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forcing can also be one of the root causes of land-sea surface temperature variation, which in turn

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is related to reduced precipitation or weakening of the Indian summer monsoon.8,9 These direct

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and indirect radiative effects of aerosols are a function of aerosol concentration, size, and

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chemical composition.10 Additionally, aerosols are considered to be one of the most important

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atmospheric pollutants. On an average, approximately 3% of cardiopulmonary and 25% of lung

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cancer deaths are attributed to PM pollution globally.11 In the mega-cities (populations >10

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million) of the IGB such as Delhi and Kolkata, heavy metal associated PM pollution is also an

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emerging major concern,12,13 as elevated concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter were

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linked to increased morbidity and mortality rates in the region.14,15

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Monsoonal rainfall provides relief from PM pollution as ambient particles are removed

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from the atmosphere via several wet deposition processes.16,17 The scavenging of atmospheric

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aerosols by precipitation is one of the most important mechanisms that results in a drastic

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reduction in ambient atmospheric aerosols.18,19 The effect of the monsoon on aerosol loading has

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been previously recorded. For example, Zhang et al.20 applied a global three dimensional

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Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) propelled by

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NASA/GEOS-4 assimilated meteorological data and quantified the impacts of East Asian

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summer monsoon on seasonal and inter-annual variations of aerosols over eastern China. Their

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analysis showed that the Asian summer monsoon reduced PM2.5 levels up to 50-70% largely due

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to wet deposition processes. Similarly, Hyvarinen et al.2 investigated the effect of the summer

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monsoon on the particulate matter concentrations at two measurement stations: Gaul Pahari and

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Mukteshwar in Northern India. They found that the summer monsoon was able to reduce 55-70%

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of the aerosol loading at both sites largely due to wet deposition processes. Since monsoonal

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rainfall provides relief from PM pollution, it is important to understand the causal relationship

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between aerosols and the southwest monsoon over the IGB, as well as its impact on aerosol

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chemistry. In addition to rainfall, aerosol removal and its loading in the atmosphere is also


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governed by other meterological parameters such as temperature, humidity, windspeed, and wind

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direction. In this study, we report on the concentration of particulate matter having an

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aerodynamic diameter less than 10µm (PM10) and their heavy metal concentrations collected at

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Kanpur, a large industrial city in the central part of the IGB. The main objective of the study is to

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understand the effect of southwest monsoon withdrawal from the Indo-Gangetic Basin on the

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physiochemical properties of PM10. The other objective is to investigate the magnitude and

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source(s) of heavy metal concentrations in Kanpur, which is likely to be significantly

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contaminated by anthropogenic activities.

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2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

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2.1. Site and Sampling Details

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Sampling was carried out in Kanpur (latitude: 26°30’47.69” N; longitude: 80°13’56.39”

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E) using high-volume (1000 L/min) atmospheric aerosol samplers (Envirotech PM10 sampler,

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model APM 460 DXNL) between July 2015 and October 2015. The aerosol sampler was placed

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on the roof of a 15 m tall Environmental Science and Engineering building inside the Indian

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Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) campus. The IITK is located ~16 km west of the Kanpur

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city center and ~5 km north of a coal-fired thermal power plant (Panki Thermal Power Station).

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The campus itself has very limited construction, commercial, and industrial activities. The site is

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located about 1 km west of a national highway (NH-91), with a total traffic volume of

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approximately 800 vehicles per hour. Samples were collected once a week and the sampler was

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opereated for 24 hours during the waning phase of monsoon period (July to September). Whereas

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samples were collected twice a week and the sampler was opereated in daytime for 12 hours

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during the post-monsoon period (October). We have reduced the sampling duration in October

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because the aerosol loading in October was much higher than the monsoon period, and as a result,

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our instrument was malfuncting since the filter papers were getting clogged. Therefore

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uncertainties related to different sampling duration should be kept in mind while interpreting our

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data. A total of 21 samples were collected and the dates of the samples (Figure 1a). It is

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noteworthy to mention that all the samples were collected during non-rainy days.

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The airborne particulate matter was collected on 20 x 25 cm quartz fiber filter sheets

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(Whatman™ EPM 2000). Quartz fibre filters were selected because of their chemical inertness

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and low affinity for moisture.21 The filters were precombusted at 550°C to remove absorbed

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moisture from the filter before they were loaded in the aerosol sampler. After collection, the filter

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papers were postcombusted at 550°C before they were weighed gravimetrically. The final mass



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of the aerosol-laden filter was recorded only when repeated post-conditioning weights were

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identical. Following gravimetric analysis, the filters were pulverized using an agate grinding set

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in a vibrating mill at IITK.

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2.2. Trace Metal Analysis

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Metal concentration analyses were performed at the Department of Earth Sciences of

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IITK. Briefly, approximately 0.3 g of sample powder was leached in pre-cleaned PTFE vials at 95

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± 5°C using HNO3 and H2O2 mixtures following the U.S. EPA protocol 3050B.22 This leaching

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procedure mostly releases metals from silicate particulates. We did not carry out a full digestion

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procedure using hydrofluoric acid, since the main focus of the study was to determine the metals

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that are adsorbed on the silicate particulates i.e. the portion that can be washed out during rainfall

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events. Three blank filters were also digested following the same procedures. The blank filters

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were analyzed to quantify the total procedural blank, whereas a reference material, Brush Creek

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Shale (SBC-1) from United States Geological Survey (USGS) was analyzed to assess the

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accuracy of the analysis. Since a reference material with a matrix identical to that of our aerosol

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samples was unavailable, all the samples and standards were spiked with 5 ppb In solution as an

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internal standard.

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The trace element analyses were performed on an inductively-coupled plasma mass

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spectrometer (Thermo Scientific™ iCAP Q ICP-MS). Concentrations were determined using a

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multi-element standard solution (High Purity Standards, Fluka) diluted to appropriate

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concentrations to generate a 6-point calibration curve, and the instrument was run both in

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standard and He Kinetic Energy Discrimination mode to optimize the separation of measured

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isotopes from polyatomic interferences and improve detection limits. The final concentrations

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were blank-corrected using the average blank filter concentrations and matrix effects were

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corrected through In normalization. Average blank corrections were less than 5% for Cd and Pb

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and less than 10% for Cr, Ni, and Cu. Blank corrections for REE concentrations were on the

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order of 25-45%. The higher blank corrections for REE were expected since REE predominantly

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reside in the silicate minerals that were not quantitatively dissolved in our method. Blank-

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corrected concentrations of each element were converted to mass m-3 of air (ngm-3) by dividing

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the total mass collected on the filter by the total volume of air pumped through the filters. The

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measured heavy metal and REE concentration of SBC-1 agrees well with the certified values

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(Supporting Information, Table S1 and Table S2).

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2.3. Meteorological Data Acquisition


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Meteorological data was obtained from a weather station located inside the IITK campus.

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The meteorological data that were included were temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind

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direction, total rainfall, and number of rain events (Figure 1 and Table 1). The meteorological

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data presented here is a part of the INCOMPASS (Interaction of Convective Organization and

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Monsoon Precipitation, Atmosphere, Surface, and Sea) project that is jointly funded by Ministry

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of Earth Sciences (MoES) and National Environmental Research Council (NERC), UK. Prof.

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S.N.Tripathi shared the data on personal communication. Table 1 reports the variability of

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temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, wind direction, and number of rainy days in July,

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August, Spetember, and October corresponding to 2015.

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2.4. Enrichment Factor and Aerosol Loading Calculations

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Enrichment Factor (EF) were calculated with respect to the upper continental crust, and

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as a proxy for upper continental crust Al, Si, Ca, Fe, Mn, as well as La and Sc concentration of

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crust can be used. Here we have focused on Sc concentration of upper continental crust23 since Sc

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is non-volatile and has virtually no commercial or industrial uses and therefore can be used as a

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representative of a crustal element.23,24,25,26 To crosscheck the results, EF were also calculated

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using La as a normalizing reference element. EF was calculated using the following equation: EFX=

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‫܆‬/‫܋܁‬aerosol ‫܆‬/‫܋܁‬crust

Where X/Sc is the concentration ratio of an element to Sc. To quantify the effect of monsoon withdrawal on aerosol loading, the rate of increase of aerosol loading was calculated using the equation of Zhang et al.20: Aerosol increase proportion =

[୔୑భబ ]ౣ౟ ି[୔୑భబ ]౨ౣ [୔୑భబ ]౨ౣ

× 100

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Where [PM10]rm represents the monthly mean concentration of PM10 for the reference month

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(July), while [PM10]mi represents the monthly mean concentration of PM10 (for the month of

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interest, i.e. August, September, or October). The month of July was chosen as the reference

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month, as July had the maximum number of rain days or rain events and received the maxium

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amount of rainfall as well. Therefore, percent increase in aerosol loading in the troposphere was

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calculated using aerosol loading in July as the baseline.

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3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

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3.1. Meteorological Characteristics and PM10 concentration



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The concentration of airborne particulate matter in the ambient air is partly governed by

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meteorological parameters.27

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rainfall, and wind direction data set were plotted against PM10 concentrations to understand how

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micro-meteorology would affect the ambient aerosol loading (Figure 1). In general, a substantial

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(22-35°C) temeparature variability was observed during the sampling period between July and

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October 2015. Wind speed, wind direction, and humidity on the other hand did not show much

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variations. For example, the average humidity for the months of July, August, September, and

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October was 75 ± 6%, 78 ± 6%, 74 ± 6%, and 73 ± 6%, respectively (Table 1). To evaluate the

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qualitative effect of meteorological parameters on PM10 concentration, Pearson’s coefficient of

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correlation was applied to study the relationship between meterological parameters and PM10

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concentrations. Pearson’s coefficient of correlation test was conducted between daily average

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meteorological parameters and PM10 concentrations using statistical software SPSS (Statistical

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Package for Social Sciences) of version 19.0. The test revealed that temperature, humidity and

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wind speed has negative correlations with PM10 concentrations, though the strength of

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correlations were not high (Table 2). Negetive correlation between temperature and PM10

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concentrations indicate that high temperature does not favor the resuspension of fine particulate

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matter, whereas humidity has congregated airborne particles to obtain mass and further settle

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down. It is noteworthy to mention that rain fall data was not incorporated in statistical analysis as

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sampling was done on non rainy days. We would like to mention that the individual effects of

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temperature, humidity, and wind speed on aerosol loading could not be quantiatvely assessed in

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this study.

Therefore, daily average temperature, humidity, windspeed,

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The diurnal and monthly average PM10 aerosol concentrations were plotted in Figure 1a.

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The average PM10 concentration at Kanpur during monsoon and post-monsoon period were 49 ±

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14 (n = 12, 1 S.D.) and 99 ± 20 (n = 9, 1 S.D.) µg m-3 respectively (Figure 1a). A significant

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increase in PM10 concentration was observed as the monsoon withdraws from the IGB. Figure 1a

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shows that the PM10 loading was minimal during the month of July, which was warmest, most

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humid, had higher wind speed and received maximum rainfall in 2015 when compared to post-

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monsoon period (Figure 1a,b). The average monthly PM10 mass concentrations during July,

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August, September and October were 39 ± 14 (n = 4, 1 S.D.), 50 ± 8 (n = 5, 1 S.D.), 59 ± 19 (n =

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3, 1 S.D.) and 99 ± 20 (n = 9, 1 S.D.) µg m-3 respectively, and aerosol loading gradually

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increased with monsoon withdrawal over the IGB. It is noteworthy to mention that July had the

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highest number of rainy days (12) when compared to other months (Table 1), and the last 2

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samples of July had the lowest PM10 levels. The consistent increase in PM10 levels were only


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observed after mid-September, when there were no significant rain events, and a stable

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atmospheric condition with relatively low humidity and temperature was acheived. In general, we

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can conclude that July showed the lowest aerosol loadings (LALDs), followed by moderate

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aerosol loadings (MALDs) in August and September, and October was characterized by the

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highest aerosol loadings (HALDs) (Figure 1a).

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The reported aerosol mass concentration ranges are similar to previously reported aerosol

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loading over the IGB. For example, average PM10 concentration during October (99 ± 20 µg m-3)

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was similar to the previous values of 80 and 101 µg m-3, reported by Sharma and Maloo28 and

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Ghosh et al.29 It is noteworthy that such direct comparison should be used with caution, since the

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sampling periods in previous studies were different from ours. We further compared our weekly

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and bi-weekly ambient PM10 level with daily PM10 data from Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control

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Board (UPPCB).30 The average monthly PM10 concentration in July, August, September, and

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October were 39, 50, 59 and 99 µg m-3 respectively in this study, while UPCCB data were 31,

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29, 35 and 108 µg m-3 respectively. From our data it is also apparant that monsoon rainfall and

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changes in the meterological parameters reduced the PM10 mass concentration levels in Kanpur

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air below the Indian National Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) limit of 100 µg/m3.

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3.2 Trace Element Systematics

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The trace metal content of the aerosol-laden filter papers are plotted in Figure 2. The

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absolute heavy metal concentrations (Cr, Ni, Pb, Cu and Cd) in Kanpur vary by a factor of 3 or

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less. The Cr, Ni, Pb, Cu and Cd concentrations during monsoon season vary in the range of 1.9-

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13.9, 5-28.5, 48.2-2965.6, 8.9-190.3 and 1.4-29.1 ng m-3 respectively. The Cr, Ni, Pb, Cu and Cd

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concentrations during post-monsoon season vary between 5.8-27.5, 16.4-55.8, 71.5-1476.6, 37.8-

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77.9, and 4.5-106.5 ng m-3 respectively. (Supplementry Section, Table S1). Therefore, during the

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post-monsoon season the Cr, Ni, Cu and Cd concentrations increased significantly. The only

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heavy metal that showed consistently high concentration throughout the study period was Pb.

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This indicates that Pb may be derive from local coal emission sources, as previously indicated by

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Pb isotopic studies of aerosols collected over Kanpur.32 As a result, even if monsoon rainfall

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removes Pb from the atmosphere, it is quickly replaced by emission from local sources such as

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the coal-fired thermal power plant (Panki Thermal Power Station) that is located ~5 km south of

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the sampling site and Figure 1c shows that air masses are coming from southernly direction. It is

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also likely that Pb is not removed by the monsoon rains. Based on our available data, the behavior

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of aerosol Pb cannot be definitely ascertained. The Rare Earth Eelement (REE) concentrations

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vary between 0.57-3.56, 1.04-6.5, 0.44-2.73, 0.12-0.79, 0.06-0.42, 0.12-0.79, 0.05-0.35, 0.09-



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0.61, 0.04-0.35, 0.06-0.46, 0.04-0.31, 0.06-0.42 and 0.04-0.31 ng m-3 for La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd,

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Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu respectively (Supplementery Section, Table S2). Overall REE

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concentration vary by a factor of 3 or less

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correlations not shown) but they do not correlate with the heavy metals. The Cr, Ni, Pb, Cu and

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Cd concentrations in Kanpur are similar to the reported values for other urban centers in Asia,

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and are almost an order of magnitude higher when compared to European and most of the Asian

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urban centers (Table 3). It is noteworthy to mention that the previously reported heavy metal

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levels at Kanpur26,29 were significantly higher than the present study (Table 3). This difference

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can be explained by the differences in the sampling period and overall methodology. For

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example, samples in the previous study29 were collected during summer to early monsoon period,

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whereas in our study, samples were collected between monsoon and post-monsoon period.

and they correlate with each other (R2>0.9,

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The ambient trace metal in the atmosphere can be originated from various sources. For

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example, Cu may be sourced from diesel burnig and vehicular brake abrasion.33,34 Pb and Cd are

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mainly derived from coal combustion products, vehicular exhaust and industrial emission.35,36 Ni

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and Cr are mainly contributed from industrial emission.37,38,39 The source of the metal in this

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study will be further discussed under section 3.3 and 3.5.

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3.3. Natural vs. Anthropogenic Signature

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The high Cr, Ni, Pb, Cu and Cd concentrations in Kanpur can be attributed to

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anthropogenic sources since the heavy metal ratios of aerosol-laden filter paper are higher than

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those in the average upper continental crust, which can be considered as a natural source of

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airborne dust. For example, the average Pb/Cu ratio of airborne particles sourced from eroding

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upper continental crust is 1.7750, while the aerosols in Kanpur have much higher Pb/Cu ratios

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(6.68 ± 5.78, n = 21, 1 S.D.). Similarly, the average Cd/Ni and Cd/Cu ratios of eroding

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continental crust range between 0.002-0.005 and 0.004-0.007, respectively23,51, whereas the

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aerosols collected at Kanpur showed much higher values (0.83 ± 0.82 and 0.42 ± 0.39

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respectively, n = 21, 1 S.D.). In contrast, the REE ratios in Kanpur were similar to the upper

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continental crust signature. For example, the Sm/Nd ratio of aeolian dust is ~0.1752, whereas the

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average Sm/Nd ratios of Kanpur aerosols were 0.25 ± 0.11 (n = 21, 1 S.D.). Thus, based on the

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above data, we conclude that the REEs are predominantly derived from a natural (crustal) source,

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whereas most of the heavy metals at are anthropogenically derived. To understand the extent of

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heavy metal pollution, Enrichment Factors (EF) were calculated. The result shows (Figure 3) that

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the Cd, Pb and Cu were 10-1500 times higher in Kanpur aerosols when compared to upper


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continental crust.

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3.4. Effect of the Monsoon Withdrawal on Aerosol Loading and Heavy Metals

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The 2015 Monsoon over India was one of the weakest of the last few decades.31 In 2015,

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the average annual rainfall over the IGB, as well as in Kanpur, was highest in the month of July

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(peak monsoon), and thereafter the monsoon was on the wane (Figure 1a). For example, Kanpur

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and its surrounding region recorded 153, 40, 0.25 and 0 mm of rain in July, August, September

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and October, respectively (Table 1). Figure 4 clearly shows that rainfall decreased with the

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waning phase of the monsoon, whereas aerosol loading in the air increased. Rain Day Frequency

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(RDF) was calculated to better understand how rainfall frequency is related to the aerosol loding.

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RDF was calculated by dividing the total number of rainy day with the total number of days in

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that particular month.. The data showed that July experienced 12 rainy days, and the RDF was

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~39% (Figure 4). Similary, RDFs for August and septemeber were 12 and 1%, respectively.

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Figure 4 shows that withdrawal of the monsoon

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concentrations in the atmosphere by 28, 43 and 152% with respect to July during August,

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September, and October, respectively. This increased aerosol loading was negatively correlated

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with RDF. Monsoon rain not only caused a drastic reduction in ambient PM loading by wet

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removal process, it also prevented further aerosol loading in the atmosphere for the next couple of

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days.

in Kanpur increased the PM10 mass

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Withdrawal of the southwest monsoon increased the heavy metal loading in the air by a

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factor of up to 2-3. This increase of heavy metal concentration can either be explained by lower

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washout rates as rainfall decreased or changing emission sources or an increased magnitude of

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emissions from a constant emission source(s). However, emission inventories over Kanpur are

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more or less constant throughout the year.54 In order to further understand whether long distance

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emission sources are involved, air mass trajectories were computed 5 days back in time at an

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elevation (height above ground level-AGL) of 50m, 1000m and 1500m during the sampling

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period using the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) data from

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the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) website.55 The archived

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data file GDAS1 was used for computations. The air mass back trajectory models reveal that the

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air masses are coming from within the Indo-Gangetic Basin and from south, as further indiacted

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by the wind direction data (Figure 1c). So it is presumed that the air mass came over similar

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anthropogenic sources. Therefore, the significant increase in heavy metal loading most likely be

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attributed to the aerosol build-up over the IGB after monsoon withdrawal.



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3. 5. Sources of Heavy Metals Aerosols in the environment can be derived from natural and anthropogenic sources

289 56,57,58,59

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.

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burning and industrial emissions.60 For example, one of the largest pollution hazes in the world

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called the “brown cloud” covers an area of more than 10 million km2 over Southern Asia and is

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mostly attributed to biomass and fossil fuel burning sources.61,62 The source of natural particulate

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matter in the atmosphere is deflation of soil, which is a weathered product of upper continental

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crustal rocks.

The dominant anthropogenic aerosol sources in the IGB are biomass burning, fossil fuel

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In order to understand the sources of heavy metals in aerosol-laden filter papers we

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investigated the trace metal systematics, since anthropogenic and natural end members should

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have distinct trace metal signatures. The plot of Cu/Cd versus Ni/Cd ratios of the aerosols (Figure

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5) reveals that the heavy metals in Kanpur aerosols are mostly derived from combustion sources,

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primarily coal burning products with lesser contribution from vehicular and industrial emission.

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However for better heavy metal source apportionment studies, isotopic composition of the heavy

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metals will be required.

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4. Conclusion

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In the present study, the relationship between the changes in meterological parameters during

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waning phase of monsoon and PM10 loading was investigated over the Central Indo-Gangetic

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Basin. An urban site (Kanpur) over the Indo-Gangetic Basin was selected for the study. The study

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demonstrates that withdrawal of the monsoon since July (peak monsoon month) increased the

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aerosol laoding in the atmosphere by 28, 43 and 152% during August, September and October,

309

respectively. PM10 mass concentration in Kanpur reached >100 µg/m3, which is the upper limit of

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Indian National Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) within just 3 months following the peak

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monsoon in 2015. The study further shows that monsoon withdrawal increased the Cr, Ni, Cu and

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Cd loading in the atmosphere. Only Pb showed a consistently high concentration throughout the

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study period, which indicates that Pb may be derive from local emission sources or it is not

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efficiently scavenged by wet deposition processes. Based on our available data, the behavior of

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Pb cannot be definitely ascertained. Enrichment Factors further show that Cd, Pb and Cu in

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aerosols were 10-1500 times higher than upper continental crust, while other heavy metals had

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EF values 10 indicates anthropogenic origin, while EF ≤10 indicates crustal sources 53

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Cd, Pb and Cu concentrations in our aerosol samples were 10-1500 times higher than upper continental crust, while the remaining elements had

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EF values

Effect of Southwest Monsoon Withdrawal on Mass Loading and

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