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Estimate of near-surface NO2 concentrations in Fenwei Plain, China, based on TROPOMI data and random forest model

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Abstract

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration is a crucial indicator of ground-level air quality, and elevated concentrations can adversely affect human health and the atmospheric environment. In this study, we utilized Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) tropospheric NO2 vertical column density data (VCD) and multi-source geographic data to establish a random forest regression (RF) model that accurately estimates NO2 concentrations near the ground in the Fenwei Plain. The model addresses the inherent limitations of traditional ground-based monitoring and provides data support for analyzing regional pollution spatial and temporal characteristics. (1) The RF model based on TROPOMI and geographic data demonstrates high estimation accuracy, with monthly average RF model fit and validation coefficient of determination (R2) reaching 0.949 and 0.875, respectively. (2) A complex nonlinear relationship exists between near-surface NO2 concentration and multi-source geographic data. The RF model’s estimations reveal clear seasonal and regional variations in near-surface NO2 concentration. Concentrations are generally highest in winter, followed by spring and autumn, and lowest in summer. The high NO2 concentrations are primarily mainly distributed in the plains and river valleys with low elevation and dense population density. The model estimation results also indicate that the estimated effect is better when the NO2 concentration fluctuates less and anthropogenic emission reduction measures significantly impact the NO2 concentration near the ground. (3) The population exposure risk results indicate that most cities in the Fenwei Plain face varying exposure risks. These findings offer valuable insights for regional NO2 pollution management.

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Data availability

Some of the data used in this study was publicly available at https://www.cnemc.cn/.

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Funding

This work was supported by the General Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41977059).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geomatics, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710054, Shaanxi, China

    Yarui Wu, Honglei Liu, Shuangyue Liu & Chunhui Lou

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  1. Yarui Wu
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  2. Honglei Liu
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  3. Shuangyue Liu
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Yarui Wu and Honglei Liu. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Honglei Liu, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Wu, Y., Liu, H., Liu, S. et al. Estimate of near-surface NO2 concentrations in Fenwei Plain, China, based on TROPOMI data and random forest model. Environ Monit Assess 195, 1379 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11993-1

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