📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / PinchyCC
Science
Bihar installs its first black carbon monitor at CUSB to study pollution and rain patterns
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 16 Oct 2026, 06:16 AM
👁 10
The state’s inaugural black carbon monitoring unit has been set up at the Central University of South Bihar (CUSB) to gather data on atmospheric soot and its influence on rainfall.
A black carbon monitor, the first of its kind in Bihar, was installed this week at the Central University of South Bihar (CUSB). The instrument will continuously record concentrations of soot particles, a major component of air pollution that also affects regional climate.
Scientists say black carbon absorbs sunlight, heating the atmosphere and potentially altering cloud formation and precipitation patterns. By measuring its levels over time, researchers hope to quantify how urban and agricultural emissions are influencing the monsoon and local rain events.
The monitoring project is a joint effort between the university’s environmental science department and the state pollution control board. Data collected will feed into state‑level air‑quality models and may guide future mitigation strategies aimed at reducing health risks and improving rainfall predictability.
Scientists say black carbon absorbs sunlight, heating the atmosphere and potentially altering cloud formation and precipitation patterns. By measuring its levels over time, researchers hope to quantify how urban and agricultural emissions are influencing the monsoon and local rain events.
The monitoring project is a joint effort between the university’s environmental science department and the state pollution control board. Data collected will feed into state‑level air‑quality models and may guide future mitigation strategies aimed at reducing health risks and improving rainfall predictability.