Long-term trends in air quality in major cities in the UK and India: a view from space

29 April 2021

The authors find satellite observations of atmospheric composition generally reproduce variability in surface air pollution, so they use their long record to estimate air quality trends in major UK and Indian cities. The authors' trend analysis shows that pollutants targeted with air quality policies have not declined in Delhi and Kanpur but have in London and Birmingham, with the exception of a recent and dramatic increase in reactive volatile organics in London. Unregulated ammonia has increased only in Delhi.

The press release by the University College London can be found at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/apr/hidden-air-pollutants-rise-india-and-uk

Contact: Eloise A. Marais (e.marais@ucl.ac.uk)