MONITORING CONCENTRATION LEVELS OF NITROGEN DIOXIDE AND SULFUR DIOXIDE IN AKWA IBOM STATE, SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA
AMAECHI C. F., UNUKPO S. J. AND OKODUWA A. K.
ABSTRACT
This study assesses the spatiotemporal variations in tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) concentrations in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, from 2019 to 2024, using remotely sensed data from the Sentinel-5P satellite. The research employed Google Earth Engine for data extraction, ArcGIS for spatial analysis, and SPSS for statistical evaluation. Results indicate that NO₂ levels peaked in 2021, with a mean concentration of 0.0000610 mol/m², followed by a gradual decline through 2024, potentially due to reduced industrial activities and the removal of fuel (premium motor spirit) subsidy in 2023. SO₂ concentrations showed greater variability, with the highest maximum value in 2022 (0.0001084 mol/m²) and the highest mean in 2024 (0.0000200 mol/m²). Spatial analysis revealed persistently higher pollutant levels in commercial and industrial areas such as Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, and oil-producing zones. Statistical analysis using paired sample t-tests showed a highly significant difference in NO₂ concentrations between 2020 to 2021 (p < 0.01) and a significant difference between 2019 to 2024 (p < 0.05). A statistically significant difference in SO2 concentrations was also observed between 2019 to 2024 (p < 0.05). However, no statistically significant differences were found between other consecutive years for NO₂, or for any year-to-year comparisons for SO₂ (p > 0.05).