Air pollution in Ukraine: a view from the Sentinel-5P satellite

Abstract

The study presents analysis of current air pollution state over Ukraine including remote regions and uncontrolled Ukrainian territories; features of NO2, SO2, and CO spatial distribution and seasonality under the influence of local anthropogenic emissions. The research is based on Sentinel-5P satellite data for the period of November 2018 – January 2020. Despite the increasing traffic emissions, the industrial emissions still greatly influence the air pollution in Ukraine. Sentinel-5P coverage allowed detecting a number of cities with huge anthropogenic NO2 and SO2 emissions, where ground-based measurements are absent. Uncontrolled territories on the east part of Ukraine still negatively affect air quality in the region due to the activity of coal-fired thermal power plants. The study indicates significant air quality changes during the heating season in winter and open burning in March – April. There were found differences in NO2 seasonal variability over clean remote regions and industrial zones. The paper analyzes features of shipping emissions during the tourist season for Ukrainian coastline of Black and Azov Seas, showing huge negative impact of chaotic movements of tourists boats near the Dzharylhach National Nature Park.