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Spatiotemporal environmental changes of Athens International Airport (Master thesis)

Επιτροπάκης, Δημήτριος/ Epitropakis, Dimitrios/ Περιβαλλοντική Μηχανική και Επιστήμη/ Environmental Engineering and Science

This study investigates the spatiotemporal environmental changes in the wider area of Athens International Airport for the period 2005 to 2024, combining satellite observations from NASA’s Giovanni platform with ground based measurements from the Airport’s Air Quality Monitoring Network. Six atmospheric indicators were analysed, namely tropospheric nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide in daytime and nighttime modes, ozone respectively, and aerosol optical depth, using data from OMI on Aura and from AIRS and MODIS on Aqua. The analysis covered the airport zone and five neighbouring reference stations in the areas of Glyka Nera, Koropi, Markopoulo, Pallini and Spata. The findings document a systematic downward trend in primary anthropogenic pollutants over the two decade period, with reductions of 31 to 35 per cent for NO2, 11 to 17 per cent for CO and approximately 15 per cent for AOD, while ground level PM10 decreased by 40 to 50 per cent. In contrast, tropospheric ozone maintained almost unchanged annual mean concentrations, a result consistent with its photochemical nature and the NOx titration effect. These changes are associated with the gradual implementation of European emission standards, the transition to cleaner fuels, the economic crisis after 2009 and the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020. The comparison between satellite and ground based data revealed excellent agreement in terms of trends, with the Spata station showing the highest local burden due to its proximity to the airport. The methodological bridge between satellite and ground observation constitutes the main scientific contribution of this work, providing a documented basis for further scientific, regulatory and technological interventions in the airport area.