10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Abstract View
A Comparison between Satellite Observations and Ground Measurements for Fine Particulate Matter in Karachi, Pakistan
Zhuldyz Darynova, MEHDI AMOUEI TORKMAHALLEH, Haider Khwaja, Chemical and Aerosol Research Team, Nazarbayev University
Abstract Number: 1698 Working Group: Air Quality in Megacities: from Sources to Control
Abstract Karachi (total population of 18 million) in Pakistan experiences desert areas with insufficient rainfall. It also experiences humid climate in the summer and dry in the winter. The average monthly temperature varies from 13oC to 34oC. In April and August, the temperatures are high, ranging between 30 and 44oC. Several industries present in Karachi including oil-fired power plants, cement factories, steel mills, scrap metal recycling plants, shipping, railroad yards, foundries, jute and textiles, oil refineries, heavy petrochemical industries, automobile assembly plants, pharmaceuticals, printing and publishing plants, food processing plants, paper mills, chemical, glass and ceramics, battery, tanneries, brick kilns, and several light industries. A solid waste incineration plant where open burning of municipal wastes takes place is also in this city.
Ground monitoring of air pollution was conducted for a period of 12 months (August 2008 to August 2009) for PM2.5 at two individual stations at Korangi (industrial/residential) and Tibet Center (commercial/residential), located on M.A. Jinnah road in Saddar town. The M.A. Jinnah road is located in the middle of a large central business district and is the busiest road throughout the day. About 300,000 vehicles pass M. A. Jinnah road everyday. The Korangi industrial area is known as the second largest industrial area of Karachi. Around 2000 industries of different types are located in this area, including refineries, textile, chemical, and tanneries (.100 units). Sampling duration in this study was 24h (7:00 a.m to 7:00 a.m) at each place for 6 weeks in each quarter (i.e., January–March; April–June; July–September; and October–December). In our study we will also develop several statistical models to utilize satellite based measurements and evaluate capability of this method in predicting PM2.5 concentrations over the atmosphere of Karachi. Specifically, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrodiometer (MODIS), instrument on board of the satellite Terra and Aqua from the NASA allows us to estimate ground-level PM2.5. It is achieved by determining Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) which reflects optical characteristics of aerosols. The mean ground PM2.5 concentrations in Korangi and Tibet Center during winter time were found to be 111.6 and 104.3 µg/m3, respectively. However, these values were 87.5 and 73.2, in the summer, respectively. The daily measured PM2.5 concentration in 2008 and 2009 will be compared with the satellite data to find the potential correlations between satellite and the ground measurements for future studies in Karachi.