Utilización de información satelital para estimar la calidad del aire a nivel de superficie : Evaluación de los datos satelitales de dióxido de nitrógeno en contraste con la información de superficie de la red metropolitana de monitoreo atmosférico de Quito.

Abstract

In this curriculum integration project, the issue of air quality in Quito, Ecuador is addressed. This is a significant health concern requiring immediate attention due to the various illnesses associated with exposure to polluted air. The objective of this study was to utilize satellite information to estimate surface-level nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations. The methodology employed follows a deductive approach, assuming that satellite observations of NO2 from the OMI and TROPOMI instruments can serve as estimates of surface-level concentrations. Data extraction utilized Python programs, and the study area was delimited with a 5 km buffer for TROPOMI and a 10 km buffer for OMI, optimizing computational resources and ensuring result coherence. The obtained results facilitated a comparison between satellite data and measurements from Quito's atmospheric monitoring network, revealing a linear correlation with an R2 of 0.76 for TROPOMI, while a third-degree polynomial correlation with an R2 of 0.73 was found for OMI. This allowed the creation of a linear function using TROPOMI data to generate NO2 pollution maps in the DMQ for comparison. Ultimately, a national-level map was constructed, determining that NO2 pollution is underestimated and falls below the NECAA limits.