Evaluation of Particulate Matter Air Pollution over Iraq using Copernicus Dataset and GIS
Keywords:
PM2.5, NetCDF, ArcGIS, Iraq, CAMsAbstract
Air pollution is one of the most serious environmental issues confronting the world today. Particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution is a type of air pollution that is hazardous to both the environment and people. It is a suspension of solid or liquid particles in the atmosphere and is also known as aerosols. The majority of PM2.5 emissions come from cars, trucks, and operations that burn fuel or coal, as well as natural sources like forest fires and herbs. The present study focus on the PM2.5 concentration in Iraq for the period) January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020) depending on the PM2.5 dataset downloaded from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMs). It is found that the higher PM2.5 concentration was occurred in Spring with maximum value of (112.49 µg /m3) at the west area of Iraq (especially in Governorate of Anbar), while the lower PM2.5 concentration was occurs in Winter with a values of (95.39 µg /m3) at Governorates of Ninawa, Kirkuk, Salahaddin and Anbar. Also, it's found that, the annual average PM2.5 concentration of Iraq was ranging (11.17- 83.40µg/m3). The study's findings revealed the impact of climatic factors, particularly winds, on the amount and direction of particle concentration spread in Iraq as well as a different sources of pollutants. Also, indicates that, the annual average level of PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the WHO and Iraqi standards annual mean values.
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