TITLE:
Analysis of Concentration Levels of Atmospheric Pollutants in Warri, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Ifeanyi Innocent Onwosi, Emmanuel Iruka Njoku, Emmanuel Fartiyahcha Nymphas
KEYWORDS:
Air Pollution, Atmospheric Pollutants, Mann-Kendall Rank Statistics
JOURNAL NAME:
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences,
Vol.12 No.2,
April
12,
2022
ABSTRACT: A
critical environmental problem facing the Niger Delta region is Air Pollution.
This study therefore analyses concentration levels of
atmospheric pollutants in the region. Statistical analysis of CH4 and O3 concentrations for the period of 2003 to 2012 and NO2 and CO2 concentrations for the period of 2011 to 2014 were carried
out. The results showed that
concentration levels of the pollutants were lower during the rainy season than
during the dry year time. This is due to higher occurrences of
atmospheric instability during the rainy season. On the other hand, ozone (O3)
concentration reached its peak value during the peak period of the rainy season
unlike the other pollutants. In all
likelihood, some of the ozone-depleting substances such as aerosols and
atmospheric hydrogen chloride become soluble in water and are being washed off
by precipitation during rainy season, thereby leading to increased tropospheric
ozone concentration during the rainy season. The study also revealed a steady increase in the
concentration of CO2 within the period of investigation. This steady increase in CO2 can be traced to the alarming increase in anthropogenic activities which
appreciably increases the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Methane
(CH4) had higher standard deviation values than carbon dioxide (CO2),
meaning that on a per molecule basis, a proportional rise
in CH4 is much more effective as a greenhouse gas than a similar increase
in CO2. However, CO2 has a greater effect than CH4 on climate
change owing to its higher atmospheric
concentration. The Mann-Kendall rank statistics
of the atmospheric pollutants revealed that the standardization variables U(ti)
and U'(ti) have a sequential fluctuating
behavior around a zero level.