A study of 141 cities in India from 2003 to 2020 using satellite-retrieved aerosol data reveals a surprise — aerosol levels were significantly high in 57% of cities compared with the surrounding areas outside the city in south and southeast India, while the converse was true in the case of 43% of cities in northwest and northern Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region where the aerosol levels were relatively lower in the cities compared with the surrounding areas.

Researchers at the School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences, IIT Bhubaneswar, refer to the cities in south and southeast India that show higher aerosol levels than the surrounding areas as Urban Aerosol Pollution Islands. And cities that show relatively lower aerosol levels compared with the surrounding areas are referred to as Urban Aerosol Clean Islands.

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