Long-Term Variability of Atmospheric Visual Range (1980–2020) over Diverse Topography of Pakistan

Sadaf Javed, Muhammad Imran Shahzad, Sawaid Abbas, Majid Nazeer

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A substantial drop in atmospheric visibility or visual range (VR) is documented in several parts of the world. We examined the long-term spatiotemporal variability in ground-based VR data for ten airports in Pakistan from 1980 to 2020. Average VR time series analysis was performed using nonparametric tests of Mann–Kendall (MK), Modified Mann–Kendall (MMK), Sen’s Slope (SS), and Sequential Mann–Kendall (SMK), followed by spatiotemporal mapping. Bad VR (<5 km) conditions prevailed over more than 60% of the study period. Noticeably, VR was better during 1991–2000 due to the high average annual rainfall (905 mm) during the 1990s. Plain areas such as Faisalabad experienced the greatest number of bad VR days with hourly (92.85%), daily (95.35%), monthly (90.97%), and seasonal (90.97%) measurements, followed by Sialkot and Multan. The VR of lowlands in central, southern, and eastern Punjab and northern, central, and eastern Sindh showed decreasing trends. In contrast, the VR in coastal areas of south and southwestern Sindh, in the western highlands, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, have indicated positive trends. The results of this study will support policymakers in catering to the issue of declining VR in the region by supporting and developing strategies to limit the factor associated with VR.

Original languageEnglish
Article number46
JournalRemote Sensing
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2023

Keywords

  • air pollution
  • ASOS
  • atmospheric visibility
  • AWOS
  • Mann–Kendall
  • Pakistan
  • Sen’s Slope
  • visual range

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Long-Term Variability of Atmospheric Visual Range (1980–2020) over Diverse Topography of Pakistan'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this