The role of green areas in reducing air pollution in Karbala
Keywords:
Green areas; Air Pollution; Sentinel-5; Karbala city; Google Earth Engine.Abstract
Abstract:
Most Iraqi cities suffer from increasing rates of air pollution and a lack of green areas, which is one of the most important ways to reduce air pollutants and raise air quality. This study represented an analysis of the relationship between the Spatial distribution of green areas on the one hand and the locations of concentration of various types of air pollutants on the other hand.
Because green areas in the city are of multiple types, each type has varying capabilities to reduce air pollutants. The researcher drew and identified each of these types and determined its percentage of the total area of green urban infrastructure in the city.
Air pollutant distribution maps were drawn based on geographic information system programs and remote sensing techniques. The locations and concentrations of air pollutants were determined based on images from the Sentinel-5 satellite and through the Google Earth Engine platform. Accordingly.
the researcher arrived at a set of information regarding the concentration locations of various air pollutants and the areas that must be enhanced with green areas to raise air quality. The researcher also concluded that the total area of green urban infrastructure in the study area has reached 31.64 km2 in 2023, as it needs to be strengthened and distributed according to reality requirements to reduce air pollution, as well as the importance of remote sensing techniques in monitoring air pollution and its sources.
