Collaborative Research: Measurements of Selected Combustion Emissions in Nepal and Bhutan Integrated with Source Apportionment and Chemical Transport Modeling for South Asia

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This effort is focused on better quantifying the emissions of aerosols and trace gases of global significance from combustion sources in Nepal and Bhutan. Very little information currently exists on emissions from sources such as brick kilns, garbage burning, and cooking fires. The broader impacts of this research include the development of a better understanding of the contribution of emissions from South Asia to the global burden of gases and aerosol important for predicting regional air quality and global climate change. This work is part of a larger international effort between the US, Nepal, Bhutan, Germany, and Italy to study atmospheric chemistry in South Asia. Chemical species to be quantified include: PM2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm), elemental and organic carbon, absorption by black and brown carbon, smoke markers, a suite of particle-phase metals and ions, CO2, CO, CH4, more than 90 diverse non-methane organic gases, SO2, NOx, NH3, HCN, acetonitrile, and many other types of aerosol and trace gases. The measurements will complement ongoing regional monitoring activities by filling a critical need for better source characterization. The results will help to assess the relative importance of South Asian combustion sources in influencing air quality and climate on a local, regional, and global scale.