Integrating InSAR coherence and air pollution detection satellites to study the impact of war on air quality

Wars profoundly affect air quality due to infrastructure loss, military activities, and population displacement; nevertheless, limited studies have thoroughly examined these impacts by remote sensing, with most offering broad evaluations lacking geographical correlation to particular damage. This study presents a novel method that combines Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) coherence change detection (CCD) with air quality data from satellites to examine the environmental effects of military actions. In this study, InSAR CCD was utilized to detect damaged areas during military operations. Focusing on the war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip following the 7 October 2023 attacks, the research investigates changes in key air quality indicators (PM2.5, NO2, SO2, O3, HCHO, CH4, CO, and UVAI) over the first six months of conflict. Air pollution levels during the war were compared to the same period in the previous year to identify wartime-related shifts. Information from InSAR coherence was collected during the six months of war and compared to the air quality data by segmenting the study time into 18 different periods. Results reveal distinct shifts in pollutant correlations with coherence, indicating war-induced environmental degradation. PM2.5 and CO exhibited a reversal from positive to negative correlations post-conflict onset (Pearson’s r: +0.122 to −0.195 and +0.089 to −0.118, respectively), linking destruction to increased particulate and carbon monoxide emissions. CH4 and HCHO correlations similarly inverted after Israel’s full-scale land invasion (Kendall’s τ: +0.125 to −0.096 and +0.062 to −0.080, respectively). Geographically weighted regression (GWR) analysis, used for spatiotemporal analysis, pinpointed pollution hotspots that corresponded with the operational phases of the IDF. This study advances conflict-environment research by coupling InSAR coherence with air quality dynamics, offering a replicable framework for wartime pollution assessment. Findings emphasize the need to implement conflict-sensitive environmental policies and open-source high-resolution satellite monitoring in war zones.