Atmospheric aerosols from open burning in South and Southeast Asia

Abstract Atmospheric aerosols have gained wide attention over the past decades due to quantitatively uncertain interventions in climate dynamics. Open burning constitutes one of the key activities injecting substantial amounts of aerosols into the atmosphere. South and Southeast Asian (SSEA) regions are global hotspots in the context of open burning activities. This chapter describes the properties and impacts of atmospheric aerosols over the SSEA region emitted from the crop residue burning, forest fires, and the combustion of municipal wastes. The spatial distribution, physicochemical and optical properties of aerosols resulting from open burning are elucidated. The impacts of open burning aerosols on air quality and health are thoroughly explored. Various methods of measuring aerosol properties are described, along with their robustness and limitations. The challenges in monitoring open burning are discussed and the need for synergizing measurements with chemistry-climate models is highlighted to understand the budgets, chemical transformations, and impacts of open burning over the SSEA region.