Atmospheric observations from space can support security and safety applications

Since April 2023, the civil war in Sudan has caused widespread disruption in the capital region and across the country.

Satellite-based emission estimates reveal a clear signal of these disruptions: NOx emissions over Khartoum and the nearby Al-Jaili industrial complex sharply decreased after the outbreak of the conflict.

Before 2023, two emission hotspots were visible in the Khartoum region: urban emissions from the city and the Al-Jaili industrial complex, located about 60–70 km north of Khartoum and hosting Sudan’s main oil refinery, petrochemical facilities, and the El Jaili thermal power plant. From 2023 onward, a strong decline in NOx emissions can be observed, likely reflecting disruptions to refinery operations, power generation, transportation, and overall urban activity.

Using TROPOMI NO₂ observations from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, we derive NOx emission maps using a data-driven emission estimation approach. These satellite-derived maps highlight major combustion sources such as cities, power plants, and industrial facilities.

Tracking atmospheric pollution from space allows monitoring of critical infrastructure activity and socio-economic disruptions in conflict-affected regions, complementing high-resolution satellite imagery and other Earth observation data for security, safety, and humanitarian applications.
These results are featured on the Emission Observatory platform, which demonstrates through case studies how satellite-based information can be used to monitor emission hotspots.

Data: TROPOMI / Copernicus Sentinel-5P (@European Space Agency – ESA)
Research: @Finnish Meteorological Institute
Funding: @Suomen Akatemia (Academy of Finland) @strateginentutkimus
#EarthObservation #TROPOMI #Sentinel5P #RemoteSensing #AirPollution #SatelliteData #AtmosphericScience #SecurityApplications #ConflictMonitoring #SpaceEconomy #Copernicus #SpaceData