Aerosol Atmospheric Rivers: Impacts on Particulate Matter Concentrations and Risk Assessment

Air pollution, particularly from particulate matter (PM), has become a critical global issue, impacting human health and the environment. Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) serves as a proxy for particulate matter (PM) concentrations in the atmosphere, with higher AOD values generally indicating higher PM levels. AOD is estimated using satellite remote sensing techniques that measure the attenuation of solar radiation caused by aerosols in the atmosphere. Satellite-based data for AOD estimation is necessary due to its ability to provide global coverage and frequent observations, which are essential for monitoring air quality on a large scale. However, empirical methods are also useful to compute PM2.5 data from satellite images. This chapter explores the possibility of empirical models to compute the PM2.5 concentration and correlate it with the observed datasets as a case study. There is a very strong correlation (r = 0.75) between the PM2.5satellite data and PM2.5 observed data. Furthermore, the presence of Aerosol Atmospheric Rivers (AARs) significantly affects the PM2.5 concentrations at that geographic location. However, the risk analysis shows cities like New Delhi, Lahore, Dhaka, and Dammam are at extreme risk of air pollution followed by Ghaziabad, Chongqing, Kolkata, Mumbai, and East London at high high-risk. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to mitigate the adverse impacts of air pollution, especially in densely populated and industrialized regions.