Analysis of Concentration Levels of Atmospheric Pollutants in Warri, Nigeria

Abstract

A critical environmental problem facing the Niger Delta region is Air Pollution. This study therefore analy se s concentration levels of atmospheric pollutants in the region. Statistical analysis of CH 4 and O 3 concentrations for the period of 2003 to 2012 and NO 2 and CO 2 concentrations for the period of 2011 to 2014 were carried out. The results showed that concentration levels of the pollutants were lower during the rainy season than during the dry year time. This is due to higher occurrences of atmospheric instability during the rainy season. On the other hand, ozone (O 3 ) concentration reached its peak value during the peak period of the rainy season unlike the other pollutants. In all likelihood, some of the ozone-depleting substances such as aerosols an d atmospheric hydrogen chloride become soluble in water and are being washed off by precipitation during rainy season, thereby leading to increased tropospheric ozone concentration during the rainy season. The study also revealed a steady increase in the concentration of CO 2 within the period of investigation. This steady increase in CO 2 can be traced to the alarming increase in anthropogenic activities which appreciably increases the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere. Methane (CH 4 ) had higher standard deviation values than carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), meaning that on a per molecule basis, a proportional rise in CH 4 is much more effective as a greenhouse gas than a similar in crease in CO 2 . However, CO 2 has a greater effect than CH 4 on climate change owing to its higher atmospheric concentration. The Mann-Kendall rank statistics of the atmospheric pollutants revealed that the standardization variables U ( t i ) and U ' ( t i ) have a sequential fluctuating behavior around a zero level.