Air Pollution Patterns Mapping of SO2, NO2, and CO Derived from TROPOMI over Central-East Europe

Abstract

The analysis of changes in the level of air pollution concentration allows for the control of air quality and its compliance with the normative requirements. Currently, every country in Europe implements air quality monitoring. However, during emergencies in areas that are often difficult to monitor, the only source of information is geospatial data obtained by means of Earth observation techniques. The aims of this study were to estimate the amounts of pollutant concentrations and develop a pattern of spatiotemporal changes in Central and Eastern Europe in Poland and Ukraine. Due to the ongoing military operations in Ukraine, it is an area that is difficult to access. Pollution from industrial facilities, fires, collapsed buildings, and the use of explosive weapons poses a threat to air quality. Additionally, the impact of war on air pollution concentration levels remains unclear. This work characterized the changes in the distribution of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide concentrations in 2018–2022 in local zones in both countries. Publicly available TROPOMI-S5 satellite data were used for this study, which were compared with measurements from ground stations in Poland. It has been estimated that the concentration of NO2 (+0.67 ± 0.47 µmol/m2) in Poland has increased and the level of SO2 and CO have decreased in both studied areas: in Poland (−161.67 ± 5.48 µmol/m2, −470.85 ± 82.81 µmol/m2) and in Ukraine (−32.56 ± 23.51 µmol/m2, −438.04 ± 80.76 µmol/m2). The concentration of NO2 in Ukraine has decreased by −0.28 ± 0.21 µmol/m2.