ARIES study gives first high-resolution continuous greenhouse gas record for Central Himalayas
On 17 July 2025, DST said ARIES scientists had for the first time captured high-resolution, continuous online measurements of key greenhouse gases at a high-altitude site in Nainital.
Summary
Scientists of the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, have for the first time captured high-resolution, continuous online measurements of carbon dioxide, methane and carbon monoxide in the Central Himalayas, DST said on 17 July 2025. The study by Dr Priyanka Srivastava and Dr Manish Naja used five years of data from a high-altitude site in Nainital. Greenhouse gas levels there were higher than at remote background sites such as Mauna Loa but lower than in urban settings. Carbon dioxide dips during daylight due to photosynthesis, while methane and carbon monoxide peak in the day as mountain winds carry pollutants upward; carbon dioxide rises in spring with biomass burning, and methane is highest in autumn.
Key facts
- Announced
- 17 July 2025, DST
- Institute
- ARIES, Nainital (autonomous, DST)
- Gases
- CO2, CH4 and CO
- Data
- Five years at a high-altitude site in Nainital
- Comparison
- Higher than remote background sites (e.g. Mauna Loa); lower than urban sites
- Cycles
- CO2 lowest in daylight; CH4 and CO peak in day; CO2 rises in spring; CH4 highest in autumn
Practice MCQs 2 questions
The first high-resolution, continuous online measurements of key greenhouse gases in the Central Himalayas, reported in July 2025, were made by scientists of which institute?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital
PIB (DST): the study was performed by ARIES, an autonomous institute under DST, using data collected over five years at a high-altitude site in Nainital.
Consider the following findings of the ARIES study on greenhouse gases in the Central Himalayas: 1. Carbon dioxide reaches its lowest levels during daylight hours due to active photosynthesis. 2. Methane levels are highest in spring. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
PIB (DST): carbon dioxide reaches its lowest levels during daylight due to active photosynthesis, so 1 is correct; it is carbon dioxide that rises in spring, while methane is highest in autumn, so 2 is wrong.