Temporal Assessment of NO2 Pollution Levels in Urban Centers of Pakistan by Employing Ground-Based and Satellite Observations

Abstract

This study presents the assessment of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) pollution within the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi by using car MAX-DOAS (Multi Axis-Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) instrument during two different scenarios of with and without the availability of CNG (compressed natural gas) fuel. Information perceived from this study can be used to get an idea about recent air quality conditions of twin cities and its repercussions on ecological and human health. International air quality monitoring field campaigns were conducted during November 2012 and December 2013. Results showed different concentrations of NO 2 (68.2, 74.25 and 93.65 ppb) at various locations of Islamabad and Rawalpindi cities, exceeded the Pak-NEQS levels of 42.5 ppb. High NO 2 concentrations can be attributed to emissions from an oil refinery, traffic congestion and solid waste dump site along IJP road, and due to non-availability of CNG during December 2013. Results compared with OMI satellite observations exhibited that NO 2 columns from OMI observations are largely underestimated.

Impact assessment of socioeconomic factors on dimensions of environmental degradation in Pakistan

“…The highest increase is found in a twostroke engine and diesel vehicles [41]. With the increase in the number of the vehicles, the emission rate of the NO x is 11% increasing in Pakistan [42]. Motor vehicles release around 90 percent of the total hydrocarbons, NO x , and CO x in Pakistan.…”

Air pollution scenario over Pakistan: Characterization and ranking of extremely polluted cities using long-term concentrations of aerosols and trace gases

“…Similarly, Awais et al (2018) evaluated MODIS aerosol products against handheld Sunphotometer measurements over Pakistan's twin cities, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and reported good performance of the MODIS aerosol product. Other remote sensing studies have been conducted of atmospheric trace gases, such as ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon dioxide CO2, as well as their trends over time (Khokhar et al 2016;Khokhar et al 2015;ul-Haq et al 2017;ul-Haq et al 2014;Ul_Haq et al 2015). Zhang et al (2020) conducted the first study of the vertical distribution of aerosol optical properties over Pakistan using CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) data.…”

Ambient Air Quality, Pollutant Behavior, and Distribution Pattern in Rabigh City Using an Air Dispersion Model

“…Our results accord with other findings [12,16] that indicated seasonal dependence. The increased concentration of NO x during the fall season can be linked to the longer lifetime of NO x in the fall relative to other seasons, such as winter [17]. SO 2 in the atmosphere may have been converted to secondary particulates through photochemical reactions [1,18].…”