Seasonal Variations and Distribution of Major Ions in the Aerosol Around a Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant

The seasonal changes of major ions in the aerosols around a coal-fired thermal power plant in southwestern India, is the primary objective of this study. Data collected during one-year period shows that both natural and anthropogenic sources have an impact on the samples. Sea salts from the Arabian Sea and the weathering of silicate rock, or mineral dust, have major impact on aerosol samples from natural sources, whereas contributions from fly ash, vehicular emission are anthropogenic. Principal component analysis and thematic maps support this finding. The distance-wise distribution of major ions and wind backward trajectory analysis indicated that anthropogenic activities have a significant impact on the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon samples than on the monsoon and early-monsoon seasons. Major Findings: 1. In the study area, major ions shows more temporal variations than spatial; the distance wise distribution of major ions, thematic maps and PCA analysis reflects that the samples are influenced by both natural and anthropogenic sources. 2. In monsoon season, the major ions show low concentration compared to pre-, early-, and post-monsoon seasons. This could be due to the impact of heavy rains resulting in the dilution in the concentrations.