Spatial and Temporal Variations of Aerosol Optical Depth Distribution Over West African Sub - Region Using VIIRS Satellite Data
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56919/2543.010Keywords:
AOD, VIIRs, AERONET, Spatial, TemporalAbstract
West Africa has experienced rapid urbanization, economic growth, population increase, and industrialization, with no serious attention paid to aerosol emissions in the past decade. Thus, understanding the spatial and temporal variation of aerosol optical depth (AOD) is urgently needed to evaluate the effectiveness of aerosol control activities. Based on the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite, AOD was retrieved over West Africa from 2012–2024. The monthly data were utilized for the analysis. The ground-based AOD from AERONET at a 550 nm wavelength was interpolated for inter-comparison with VIIRS satellite AOD data over the study period. Statistical parameters such as mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation were calculated. The results show that the monthly average mean AOD value in Nigeria ranges from 0.25–0.84, in Benin from 0.35–0.91, and in Niger from 0.24–0.84. The annual average AOD in Nigeria and Niger varied between 0.41–0.55, while in Benin it varied between 0.44–0.58. In terms of season, Nigeria has the highest mean AOD value in spring (0.66) and the lowest in winter (0.37), Niger has the highest mean AOD value in summer (0.74) and the lowest in winter (0.26), and Benin has the highest mean AOD value in spring (0.70) and the lowest in autumn (0.39). In addition, the AOD fluctuated greatly in 2015 and 2022 in Nigeria with the highest standard deviation (0.54 and 0.47), while the AOD fluctuated in 2016 and 2015 with the highest standard deviation (0.55 and 0.45) in Niger and Benin, respectively. These results provide a robust basis for assessing regional climate–aerosol interactions, and the validation of satellite observations with ground-based measurements shows good agreement
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