Air pollution index evaluation based on haze phenomena in East Malaysia using Giovanni satellite database

This work evaluates air pollution related to haze phenomena in Malaysia from 2000 to 2019. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the relationship between the Air Pollution Index (API) during haze occurrences using the Giovanni satellite database. The collected data of the API was denoted as ground-based data, while that of GIOVANNI was denoted as satellite-based data. The air pollutants targeted in the study include PM2.5, SO2, CO, and O3. Sarawak and Sabah were chosen as the study areas due to the high levels of hazardous haze pollutants observed in these regions. The data analysis utilised a linear regression approach to examine the correlation and relationship between ground-based and satellite-based measurements. Factors contributing to haze occurrence were also investigated by gathering meteorological data from GIOVANNI, including wind speed and surface temperature. The analysis's correlation coefficient (R) values range from weak, moderate and strong, with all p-values below 0.05, indicating statistical significance. Notably, wind speed shows a strong negative correlation with API, with an R-value of −0.8750, demonstrating an inverse relationship between the two variables. Similarly, temperature exhibits a moderate negative correlation with API, reflected in an R-value of −0.7270. The findings indicate a strong inverse relationship between the factors and haze pollution, with correlations from the GIOVANNI database serving as a benchmark for identifying causes of high API during haze.