Rapid industrial and economic development over the past two
decades in India leads the high levels of air pollution. Carbon
monoxide (CO) is one of the main pollutants, is not only harmful
for human beings but also for its impact on climate. The major CO
sources in India are biomass burning and vehicular emissions.
Here we used Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere
(MOPITT) CO data from 2005–2015 to examine CO sources, interannual
variability, and transport pathways over India. We observed
that during the winter months CO emissions over eastern part of
Bihar, west Bengal and Northern Indo Gangetic (IG) plain are much
higher than during the summer months. The increased vehicular
emissions and industrial activity after 2010 resulted in increased
CO in the same regions. CO mixing ratios at 350 hPa lowered at
68–90 μg m−3 over Arabian Sea and approximately 90 μg m−3 over
Bay of Bengal during Indian summer monsoon. Deep convective
activities transported maximum CO pollutants up to 200 μg m−3
over northern and eastern part of India during monsoon season.