Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessment

<p dir="ltr">Armed conflicts pose severe environmental challenges, particularly in densely populated and infrastructure-limited regions. The Gaza Strip exemplifies such a context, where the intersection of warfare, urban density, and environmental vulnerability demands urgent scienti...

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التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928) (author)
منشور في: 2025
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author Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928)
author_facet Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-08-13T15:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103044
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Air_pollution_in_Gaza_during_the_post-october_7_era_a_satellite_and_machine_learning_assessment/30018715
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Earth sciences
Atmospheric sciences
Environmental sciences
Environmental management
Human society
Development studies
Information and computing sciences
Machine learning
Air pollution
Machine learning forecasting
Environmental monitoring
Sentinel-5P
Gaza Strip
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessment
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p dir="ltr">Armed conflicts pose severe environmental challenges, particularly in densely populated and infrastructure-limited regions. The Gaza Strip exemplifies such a context, where the intersection of warfare, urban density, and environmental vulnerability demands urgent scientific inquiry. This study aims to assess the environmental impact of the 2023–2024 war on air quality in the Gaza Strip by examining temporal and spatial changes in key atmospheric pollutants. We use daily observations of five pollutants, nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>), sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH<sub>4</sub>), and the ultraviolet aerosol index (UVAI), obtained from the Sentinel-5P TROPOspheric monitoring instrument (TROPOMI) satellite and combine these with meteorological data (temperature, humidity, wind speed, and precipitation) to explore their behavior before and during the conflict. Our methodology integrates time-series analysis with statistical and machine learning models, including SARIMAX, Holt-Winters, Random Forest, and XGBoost, to forecast pollutant concentrations based on pre-war conditions and identify deviations post-October 2023. The findings reveal distinct responses to pollutants during the war. UVAI and CO showed sharp and sustained increases linked to widespread combustion and infrastructure damage, while CH<sub>4</sub> concentrations exhibited a steady rise associated with the collapse of waste management. SO<sub>2</sub> displayed episodic spikes, likely tied to fuel depot destruction and generator use, whereas NO<sub>2</sub> trends showed temporary suppression due to mobility restrictions and reduced industrial activity. Our findings demonstrate that traditional forecasting models may require adaptation to conflict-specific conditions, given altered emission sources and rapid pollutant dispersal in a small geographic area like Gaza. Policy implications include the urgent need for conflict-sensitive environmental monitoring systems, the integration of satellite data into humanitarian planning, and the development of adaptive forecasting models that incorporate war-related variables, such as infrastructure damage and displacement patterns.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Global Environmental Change<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103044" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103044</a></p>
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spelling Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessmentAmmar Abulibdeh (15785928)Earth sciencesAtmospheric sciencesEnvironmental sciencesEnvironmental managementHuman societyDevelopment studiesInformation and computing sciencesMachine learningAir pollutionMachine learning forecastingEnvironmental monitoringSentinel-5PGaza Strip<p dir="ltr">Armed conflicts pose severe environmental challenges, particularly in densely populated and infrastructure-limited regions. The Gaza Strip exemplifies such a context, where the intersection of warfare, urban density, and environmental vulnerability demands urgent scientific inquiry. This study aims to assess the environmental impact of the 2023–2024 war on air quality in the Gaza Strip by examining temporal and spatial changes in key atmospheric pollutants. We use daily observations of five pollutants, nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>), sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH<sub>4</sub>), and the ultraviolet aerosol index (UVAI), obtained from the Sentinel-5P TROPOspheric monitoring instrument (TROPOMI) satellite and combine these with meteorological data (temperature, humidity, wind speed, and precipitation) to explore their behavior before and during the conflict. Our methodology integrates time-series analysis with statistical and machine learning models, including SARIMAX, Holt-Winters, Random Forest, and XGBoost, to forecast pollutant concentrations based on pre-war conditions and identify deviations post-October 2023. The findings reveal distinct responses to pollutants during the war. UVAI and CO showed sharp and sustained increases linked to widespread combustion and infrastructure damage, while CH<sub>4</sub> concentrations exhibited a steady rise associated with the collapse of waste management. SO<sub>2</sub> displayed episodic spikes, likely tied to fuel depot destruction and generator use, whereas NO<sub>2</sub> trends showed temporary suppression due to mobility restrictions and reduced industrial activity. Our findings demonstrate that traditional forecasting models may require adaptation to conflict-specific conditions, given altered emission sources and rapid pollutant dispersal in a small geographic area like Gaza. Policy implications include the urgent need for conflict-sensitive environmental monitoring systems, the integration of satellite data into humanitarian planning, and the development of adaptive forecasting models that incorporate war-related variables, such as infrastructure damage and displacement patterns.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Global Environmental Change<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103044" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103044</a></p>2025-08-13T15:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103044https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Air_pollution_in_Gaza_during_the_post-october_7_era_a_satellite_and_machine_learning_assessment/30018715CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/300187152025-08-13T15:00:00Z
spellingShingle Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessment
Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928)
Earth sciences
Atmospheric sciences
Environmental sciences
Environmental management
Human society
Development studies
Information and computing sciences
Machine learning
Air pollution
Machine learning forecasting
Environmental monitoring
Sentinel-5P
Gaza Strip
status_str publishedVersion
title Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessment
title_full Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessment
title_fullStr Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessment
title_full_unstemmed Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessment
title_short Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessment
title_sort Air pollution in Gaza during the post-october 7 era: a satellite and machine learning assessment
topic Earth sciences
Atmospheric sciences
Environmental sciences
Environmental management
Human society
Development studies
Information and computing sciences
Machine learning
Air pollution
Machine learning forecasting
Environmental monitoring
Sentinel-5P
Gaza Strip