Air pollution in the West Kazakhstan region: A multi-source analysis
Ulman A. Salnikov V. Musralinova G. Tuimebayev Z. Polyakova S. Tazhibayeva T. Kauazov A. Kozhagulov S. Kissebayev D. Raimbekova Z.
January 2026Elsevier Ltd
Atmospheric Research
2026#330
This study presents an initial comprehensive analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of atmospheric pollutants in the West Kazakhstan region, utilising satellite data acquired between 2020 and 2023 from the Sentinel-5 Precursor mission, which is equipped with the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument. The work was based on integrating satellite observations with geostatistical methodologies, namely Getis-Ord Gi* and interquartile range (IQR) analysis. This combination of techniques enabled the identification of persistently polluted areas and the detection of spatial patterns that were not been previously encompassed by the ground-based monitoring network. The analysis covered four key pollutants: sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and methane (CH4). Steable seasonal trends were recorded, including SO2 and CO winter peaks, NO2 episodic increases, and weakly pronounced CH4 dynamics. The Getis-Ord Gi* method was used to identify pollution hotspots with high statistical significance. The IQR analysis identified zones with consistently high SO2 concentrations beyond the limits of the existing observation network. The results obtained provide a foundation for the subsequent environmental zoning of the region, the enhancement of atmospheric monitoring strategies, and the evaluation of risk in industrial areas characterised by constrained observation infrastructure.
Air pollution , Air quality assessment , Pollutants , Satellite data , Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI
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Global Sky Laboratory, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Al-Farabi Avenue, 71/19, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Al-Farabi Avenue, 71, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Regional Environmental Center of Central Asia, Microdistrict Orbita-1, 40, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Almaty City and Almaty Region Branch of “Kazhydromet” RSE, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
China-Kazakhstan Joint Laboratory for Remote Sensing Technology and Application, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Al-Farabi Avenue, 71/19, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Global Sky Laboratory
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Regional Environmental Center of Central Asia
Almaty City and Almaty Region Branch of “Kazhydromet” RSE
China-Kazakhstan Joint Laboratory for Remote Sensing Technology and Application
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Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026