Study traces how an El Niño changed the pollution map
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A study published in the Atmospheric Pollution Research journal examines how El Niño and La Niña conditions affect India's air quality. The research was released before the peak pollution season in the country. It found that these weather patterns change atmospheric circulation and the pathways of PM2.5 transport. These factors determine if pollution is trapped or dispersed.
Coming ahead of India’s peak pollution season, the paper, titled ‘Air quality in flux: The baffling ENSO transition in India’, published in Atmospheric Pollution Research journal Thursday, found that La Niña/El Niño conditions altered atmospheric circulation, PM2.5 transport pathways and weather conditions that determine whether pollution disperses or gets trapped.