Temporal and spatial assessment of fossil fuel sources air pollutants using remote sensing and spatial data: A case study of Antalya province Kepez

Global warming has reached levels that threaten human life by causing major hazards such as forest fires, desertification, climate change, epidemics and famine. The use of fossil fuels such as coal is a significant contributor to climate change, due to the increased pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The study selected the Kepez district of Antalya province as a pilot region. The Kepez district is a region with a low socioeconomic level and dense industrial facilities. Therefore, it is important to monitor air pollution continuously in provinces with these characteristics. In the study, a variety of pollutants were evaluated using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools and Remote Sensing (RS) methods. The data set comprises NO2, CO, SO2, O3, H2O and HCHO data obtained from TROPOMI, land surface temperature (LST) data obtained from MODIS, a land use land cover (LULC) map obtained from the ESRI platform and neighbourhood population data obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) between 2019 and 2023. The results demonstrate that the concentrations of O3, NO2, CO and H2O are highest in built-up areas and lowest in agricultural and forested areas. The distributions of SO2 and HCHO concentrations exhibited differing patterns over time. In neighbourhood-based analyses, the concentrations of pollutants (O3, NO2, CO) were found to be lower in rural neighbourhoods than in central neighbourhoods. The data revealed high positive correlations between O3 and CO and H2O, as well as moderate negative correlations between SO2 and CO, O3 and H2O. Medium correlations were observed between LST CO and O3. Moderate correlations were identified between NO2 and TurkStat population data. These findings offer valuable insights into the sources and distribution of air pollution in Kepez, providing a basis for strategic decisions to combat climate change.