Influence of South Asian Biomass Burning on Ozone and Aerosol Concentrations Over the Tibetan Plateau

In this work, the influence of South Asian biomass burning emissions on O3 and PM2.5 concentrations over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is investigated by using the regional climate chemistry transport model WRF-Chem. The simulation is validated by comparing meteorological fields and pollutant concentrations against in situ observations and gridded datasets, providing a clear perspective on the spatiotemporal variations of O3 and PM2.5 concentrations across the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau. Further sensitivity simulations and analyses show that emissions from South Asian biomass burning mainly affect local O3 concentrations. For example, contribution ratios were up to 20% in the Indo-Gangetic Plain during the pre-monsoon season but below 1% over the TP throughout the year 2016. In contrast, South Asian biomass burning emissions contributed more than 60% of PM2.5 concentration over the TP during the pre-monsoon season via significant contribution of primary PM2.5 components (black carbon and organic carbon) in western India that were lofted to the TP by westerly winds. Therefore, it is suggested that cutting emissions from South Asian biomass burning is necessary to alleviate aerosol pollution over the TP, especially during the pre-monsoon season.