Ambient black carbon and its dependence on in-situ stubble burning

Ambient black carbon and its dependence on in-situ stubble burning | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Ambient black carbon and its dependence on in-situ stubble burning Vikas Goel, Ajit Kumar, Anjanay Pandey, Mohd Faisal, Umer Ali, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8494965/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Crop residue burning (CRB) in Northern India is a serious concern that poses substantial health risks and deteriorates air quality in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region via regional transport. Despite governmental regulations and various interventions, the practice remains prevalent. In this study, we investigate the influence of CRB on ambient black carbon (BC) level in rural areas of Punjab during the post monsoon period. BC source contributors were quantified using aethalometer model (AM) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) approaches. Interestingly, despite the distinct mathematical framework of these two models, their results showed good agreement. Although, the measurements were conducted in the agricultural field, CRB contributed on average 48% to the total BC, periodically exceeding 90% during the active burning hours (1:00 PM – 6:00 PM), resulting in strong diurnal variation. In addition to the CRB several other BC sources e.g., traffic emissions (20.2%), power plant emissions (24.0%), waste incineration (2.0%), and a Pb-rich industrial factor (6.1%) were also quantified. The BC concentration measured during the study ranged from 1.45 to 85.0 µg/m³ with an average of 12.6 µg/m³. Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE), an important aerosol parameter, is also calculated and observed to be 1.7 ± 0.3, with hourly variations ranging from 1.1 to 2.4, suggesting a significant influence of CRB. Furthermore, spectral variation in absorption characteristics of BC and brown carbon (BrC) was also calculated, providing insight into the optical properties of fresh biomass-burning carbonaceous aerosols. These findings highlight the persistent dominance of CRB emissions in shaping rural aerosol composition. Moreover, when transported by prevailing winds, these aerosols substantially influence air quality across the Indo-Gangetic Plain. In this study, forward wind trajectory analysis further demonstrates that air masses originating in Punjab frequently move toward the IGP region, supporting the observed regional impact of CRB emissions. Crop residue burning Black carbon Optical properties Punjab Air pollution Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Table 1 is available in the Supplementary Files section. Supplementary Files ListoftablesEMS.docx SupplementaryEMSPunjab.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 18 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 16 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 16 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 01 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8494965","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":576229921,"identity":"61f1373d-bd48-46ed-94f4-2bd8bf4122bb","order_by":0,"name":"Vikas Goel","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Delhi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vikas","middleName":"","lastName":"Goel","suffix":""},{"id":576229922,"identity":"6d2dd743-26eb-426a-a93e-92c213503ed1","order_by":1,"name":"Ajit Kumar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Delhi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ajit","middleName":"","lastName":"Kumar","suffix":""},{"id":576229923,"identity":"1d606741-2f54-416a-ac41-59c73448ccc7","order_by":2,"name":"Anjanay Pandey","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Delhi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Anjanay","middleName":"","lastName":"Pandey","suffix":""},{"id":576229924,"identity":"878babda-0dc6-4115-b132-0e1814f81e6d","order_by":3,"name":"Mohd Faisal","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Delhi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohd","middleName":"","lastName":"Faisal","suffix":""},{"id":576229925,"identity":"467e0628-f392-4b89-a171-2e20403ef08e","order_by":4,"name":"Umer Ali","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Delhi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Umer","middleName":"","lastName":"Ali","suffix":""},{"id":576229927,"identity":"fa7e36ef-a4ae-47a8-b814-82b1fa531791","order_by":5,"name":"Rakesh Maity","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Delhi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rakesh","middleName":"","lastName":"Maity","suffix":""},{"id":576229929,"identity":"55b049e3-23a8-42c5-af35-ce67df33caba","order_by":6,"name":"Ravindra Khaiwal","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ravindra","middleName":"","lastName":"Khaiwal","suffix":""},{"id":576229931,"identity":"a6c01011-0d08-483f-b0b1-a83beea46f26","order_by":7,"name":"Suman Mor","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Punjab University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Suman","middleName":"","lastName":"Mor","suffix":""},{"id":576229932,"identity":"5ea17e7a-8915-4ae5-bf8e-5ea297f9e87b","order_by":8,"name":"Vikram Singh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Delhi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vikram","middleName":"","lastName":"Singh","suffix":""},{"id":576229933,"identity":"5a9645f0-5852-4140-be13-6a31ee8aec0c","order_by":9,"name":"Mayank Kumar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA90lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACCQiVIAck2BgYDID8AyABA8JajGFaJIjWktgA1gISOEDAYZLTDj+T+LkjLX1te/OzBwwFFnV8B5gffmAouINTi7R0mplk75mc3G1njpkbgBwmeYDNWILB4BlOLXLSCWYSvG0Vudtu5LBJgLQYHGAwA/rlMB4t6d8k/7ZVpJvdfwPTwv4NrxZp6Rwzad62nASzGzwwLTz4bZGcnVNsLduWZrjtTJqZRIKBhOTMwzzFQAZuLRK30zfefNuWLG92HBh0H/7U8fMdb9/44cMf3FqAgEUCzkwAEcwwBm7A/AG//CgYBaNgFIx4AACClk06ZQAaZAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Delhi","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mayank","middleName":"","lastName":"Kumar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-01 11:53:16","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8494965/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8494965/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103507610,"identity":"7ab26b44-6e88-4005-a57f-ece4bcd69b7d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-26 13:42:24","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1277819,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptEMSPunjabR.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8494965/v1_covered_90206fe7-cdce-43e2-9859-d8b658c4e31c.pdf"},{"id":103469101,"identity":"5779462c-3aeb-46f1-9823-328f8c8bd4cd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-26 05:11:27","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":16810,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ListoftablesEMS.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8494965/v1/b7c14b00f5af4c3ba5db2f80.docx"},{"id":103469102,"identity":"df0072bd-aeb2-4a89-993a-a7b0c56a5cba","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-26 05:11:27","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":3201179,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryEMSPunjab.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8494965/v1/b9e00ffe09a27f7657b145d0.docx"}],"financialInterests":"\u003cp\u003eNo competing interests reported.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 1 is available in the Supplementary Files section.\u003c/p\u003e","formattedTitle":"Ambient black carbon and its dependence on in-situ stubble burning","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-monitoring-and-assessment","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"emas","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Monitoring and Assessment](http://link.springer.com/journal/10661)","snPcode":"10661","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10661/3","title":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Crop residue burning, Black carbon, Optical properties, Punjab, Air pollution","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8494965/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8494965/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eCrop residue burning (CRB) in Northern India is a serious concern that poses substantial health risks and deteriorates air quality in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region via regional transport. Despite governmental regulations and various interventions, the practice remains prevalent. In this study, we investigate the influence of CRB on ambient black carbon (BC) level in rural areas of Punjab during the post monsoon period. BC source contributors were quantified using aethalometer model (AM) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) approaches. Interestingly, despite the distinct mathematical framework of these two models, their results showed good agreement. Although, the measurements were conducted in the agricultural field, CRB contributed on average 48% to the total BC, periodically exceeding 90% during the active burning hours (1:00 PM \u0026ndash; 6:00 PM), resulting in strong diurnal variation. In addition to the CRB several other BC sources e.g., traffic emissions (20.2%), power plant emissions (24.0%), waste incineration (2.0%), and a Pb-rich industrial factor (6.1%) were also quantified. The BC concentration measured during the study ranged from 1.45 to 85.0 \u0026micro;g/m\u0026sup3; with an average of 12.6 \u0026micro;g/m\u0026sup3;. Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE), an important aerosol parameter, is also calculated and observed to be 1.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.3, with hourly variations ranging from 1.1 to 2.4, suggesting a significant influence of CRB. Furthermore, spectral variation in absorption characteristics of BC and brown carbon (BrC) was also calculated, providing insight into the optical properties of fresh biomass-burning carbonaceous aerosols. These findings highlight the persistent dominance of CRB emissions in shaping rural aerosol composition. Moreover, when transported by prevailing winds, these aerosols substantially influence air quality across the Indo-Gangetic Plain. In this study, forward wind trajectory analysis further demonstrates that air masses originating in Punjab frequently move toward the IGP region, supporting the observed regional impact of CRB emissions.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Ambient black carbon and its dependence on in-situ stubble burning","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-26 05:11:22","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8494965/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-01-18T07:35:50+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-01-16T14:29:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-01-16T14:27:14+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","date":"2026-01-01T11:41:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-monitoring-and-assessment","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"emas","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Monitoring and Assessment](http://link.springer.com/journal/10661)","snPcode":"10661","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10661/3","title":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"28ba99fd-3d32-4051-b3ec-1d34fea13310","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 26th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-23T16:24:36+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-26 05:11:22","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8494965","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8494965","identity":"rs-8494965","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}