Program/Project

An Interdisciplinary Study Toward Clean Air, Public Health and Sustainable Agriculture: The Case of Crop Residue Burning in North India

Position & Title

Professor, RIHN / Principal Scientist, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)

Area of Expertise

Study of greenhouse gases and ozone depleting substances, Air pollution, biomass burning, Atmospheric modelling and measurements

Biography

Dr. Patra earned his Ph.D. from Gujarat University, India in 1998. After working briefly at IBM India Research Laboratory, he joined JAMSTEC in 2001. He is currently a principal scientist and deputy group-leader at JAMSTEC, visiting professor at Chiba University and Tohoku University, and leading the Aakash Project since 2023. His main research interests include estimation of sources and sinks of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances using atmospheric chemistry-transport models. He is also deeply interested in air pollution and human health. He received the Horiuchi Award from the Meteorological Society of Japan (2016). He has contributed to the estimation of CO2, CH4, and N2O budgets for the Global Carbon Project and IPCC, served as lead author for the IPCC AR6, and has been active internationally as editor of numerous journals and as steering committee member of satellite observation, carbon cycle science projects.

Q&A

Q1 What kind of research are you doing at RIHN?

The world population today is about 8 billion, and only half of them could be fed without the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. This means that we are intensifying crop production in unnatural ways and that exerts pressure on the environment, leading to issues such as crop residue burning (focus of our research). Put together with industrial activities and infrastructure development, rice crop residue burning emits large amounts of air pollutants into the atmosphere – beyond the natural cleansing capacity of the atmosphere. Greater emissions than the cleansing capacity leads to building up of air pollutants causing a serious burden on human health, air and ground traffic conditions and other outdoor activities.
We are working in RIHN to develop a rigorous scientific understanding of the causes of severe air pollution in Delhi national capital region (Delhi-NCR), in relation to crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana. Such understanding will help design the most effect pollution mitigation policy by accounting for local to regional emissions and climate conditions. Our ultimate goals are to raise awareness among citizens so that they adapt to behavioural changes for reduction of air pollution. In this process we offer farmers a few alternatives to crop residue management, and options for crop diversification toward sustainable agriculture.

Q2 Do you have a message you would like to share to people who want to do research at RIHN?

I have joined RIHN full-time for about a year now and find it to be an exciting system for promoting transdisciplinary research. It has a rich and diverse culture to welcome new people, in short-term and long-term positions. Many projects involve extensive travel because of the nature of the project solving global issues, often connecting multiple continents. So, the potential for solving global environmental issues is immense and challenges are up for taking.

Affiliated Research Project