Spatiotemporal Analysis of MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth Data in the Philippines from 2010 to 2020

• Published in: Atmosphere Vol. 13; no. 6; p. 939
• Main Authors: Caido, Nadine Grace, Ong, Prane Mariel, Rempillo, Ofelia, Galvez, Maria Cecilia, Vallar, Edgar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-06-2022
• Subjects: Aerosol optical depth; Aerosol Robotic Network; Aerosols; Air; Air monitoring; Air pollution; Air quality; Air quality assessments; Air quality management; Airports; Algorithms; Annual variations; Anthropogenic factors; Atmospheric aerosols; Biomass; Biomass burning; Burning; COVID-19; Emissions; Environmental management; Ground stations; Land area; Long-range transport; MODIS; Observatories; Optical analysis; Optical thickness; Pollutants; Pollution dispersion; Quality assessment; Quality control; Remote sensing; Root-mean-square errors; Satellites; Southwest monsoon; Spectroradiometers; Sun; transboundary; Trends; Winds; Asia; Philippines
• ISSN: 2073-4433; 2073-4433
• DOI: 10.3390/atmos13060939

Satellite remote sensing for air quality assessment provides information over a large spatial coverage and time period that shows the trends and effects of anthropogenic activities. Using data collected from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra satellite from the years 2010 to 2020, the spatiotemporal variations to aerosol optical depth (AOD) in Koronadal City and Quezon City were studied. Validation showed a strong relationship between the MODIS AOD values and the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) AOD values (R2 = 0.83) and a low root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.26. Annual variation in the AOD of the two study areas showed a peak AOD value in 2015 due to an immense biomass burning in Indonesia and a low AOD value in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Koronadal City experienced a high AOD value during the fall season due to aerosols from biomass burning in Indonesia that were carried by the southwest monsoon. Quezon City experienced a high AOD value during spring from increased local sources, as well as long-range transport pollutants from East Asia that were carried by northeasterly winds. Overall, this study provides an understanding of the spatiotemporal variations in aerosols in the Philippines, which could be used in environmental management, air quality regulations, and health assessment studies. This shows the urgency of monitoring and mitigating poor air quality in the Philippines.