Influence of atmospheric factors on tropospheric air pollutants across Nigeria using remote sensing analysis

Air pollution is one of the major challenges facing humanity and its environment. Atmospheric factors have been reported to influence the formation, dispersion, transportation, and dilution of pollutants. In this study, we investigate the influence of atmospheric parameters on the spatial variation of tropospheric air pollutants across Nigeria. Data of monthly mean daily air pollutants and atmospheric parameters from Sentinel-5p TROPOMI and Climate Research Unit from April 2018 to December 2023 were employed. Pearson correlation and Principal component analysis (PCA) were used in data analysis. The spatial distributions of pollutants observed depict higher concentrations in the coastal region, decreased concentrations in the hinterland, and low concentrations towards the northern region. This could be attributed to atmospheric parameters, resulting from the movement of north-easterly and south-westerly air masses across the country. Furthermore, the strength and direction of the relation between atmospheric variables and pollutants varied based on the parameter and the pollutant. This implies that the influence differs among the parameters and the pollutants. The significance of the correlation from this study indicates that the effect of atmospheric parameters tends to be more pronounced on O3, CO, and HCHO as compare to NO2 and SO2, and less with CH4; with vapour pressure having the strongest influence. Our observations suggest that the impacts of atmospheric variables on pollutants varied based on the variables, the pollutants, and the study area. This study has provided insights on atmospheric factors – air pollutants interactions that will be useful in understanding and improving air quality management.