Evaluation of the Potential of Sentinel-5P TROPOMI and AIS Marine Traffic Data for the Monitoring of Anthropogenic Activity and Maritime Transport NOx-Emissions in Canary Islands Waters

Manuel Rodriguez Valido (), Javier Perez Marrero, Argelio Mauro González, Peña Fabiani Bendicho and Carlos Efrem Mora
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Manuel Rodriguez Valido: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
Javier Perez Marrero: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
Argelio Mauro González: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
Peña Fabiani Bendicho: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
Carlos Efrem Mora: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: This work studies air quality by analysing NO x emissions in the inland waters of the Canary Islands, with particular emphasis on determining how maritime transport activity contributes to the emission of NO 2 in the environment of the two main islands, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. We explored the capabilities of tropospheric NO 2 density derived from the TROPOMI sensor onboard ESA’s Sentinel 5P Satellite to be used as an air quality monitoring tool at the regional scale of the Canary Islands. The studied mesoscale emission scenarios allowed us to identify the main sources, associated with urban areas, heavy roads, power plants, ports, and to a lesser extent, shipping routes. Mean values for the metropolitan area of Santa Cruz de Tenerife were 1.38 × 10 15 molec cm −2 . Similarly, in port areas, mean values of 1.22 × 10 15 molec cm −2 were found. These levels can confidently be associated with anthropogenic activities. These were clearly distinguishable from background (noise) values of 7.08 × 10 14 molec cm −2 obtained in maritime areas away from the influence of the islands. To investigate the maritime contribution to the NO 2 emissions, ship tracks were obtained from an Automated Identification System (AIS) receiving station that covered the channel between the Tenerife and Gran Canaria islands. Multitemporal, and hence accumulative, NO 2 scenarios were compared with the ship traffic density within a given temporal window before satellite overpass. We found good spatial agreement between NO 2 signal and frequent ship routes between the major islands at several time scales, particularly in weekly averaged scenarios. Enhancements up to 2.0 × 10 15 molecules cm −2 relative to surrounding waters were identified in the middle of the main shipping routes between the main islands. Thus, multitemporal NO 2 scenarios derived from TROPOMI can lead to an estimate of the ship traffic contribution to NO x emissions in complex environments, such as this one, influenced by land emissions.

Keywords: Sentinel 5 TROPOMI; AIS; NOx; ship emissions; Canary Islands (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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