Contribution of the Satellite Observation on the Analysis and the Forecast of the State of Air Pollution in TOGO

Abstract

Nowadays, there is a crucial question about the quality of the air that people breathes in Togo and many problems that its pollution would cause on the human health (respiratory, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, increase of infections) and on the environment (destruction of the ozone layer, global warming, climatic catastrophes). The lack of precise information on the different sources of pollution, the state and degree of pollution of Togolese cities, by the government or municipal authorities and policymakers, which would enable them to take commitments to limit air pollution in the country, made that the phenomenon of pollution persists. The present study aims to characterize the atmospheric pollution situations of the cities of Togo through the determination of the degree of pollution in Togo using the satellite measurements. The state of pollution of the atmosphere in Togo was performed by simulations using GIOVANNI software and satellite data from NASA. This research provides additional information on the variability of the pollutants according to time and will help government to foresee the eventual consequences. The results obtained allowed drawing up maps of the state of pollution of Togolese cities, knowing its sources and the average quantities of polluting particles released in Togo every year. The variation of the rate of these pollutants in the atmosphere in Togo also forecasts the degree of pollution of its cities and the estimate gave 481 ppm for CO₂, 142.10^-5 particles.m^-2 of CO, 436.8 1021 mol.cm^-2 of CH_{4 particles, 56.2 10^-7 Kg.m^-2 of SO2 in the atmosphere in Togo in 2050. The results showed that the capital Lomé is more polluted.}