Abstract

Urban air pollution poses significant risks to human health, ecosystems, and the environment, highlighting the need for accurate monitoring of atmospheric pollutants. This study investigated the spatial and temporal variability of key tropospheric pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrous acid (HONO), formaldehyde (HCHO), and ozone (O3), in Brighton, UK, using an integrated approach that combined ground-based Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS), Long-Path Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (LP-DOAS), and Sentinel-5P TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) observations. Ground-based measurements comprised four MAX-DOAS campaigns conducted between 2021 and 2024 and a long-term LP-DOAS dataset spanning 2017–2023, complemented by coincident TROPOMI observations. The datasets were spatially co-located, temporally aligned, quality-controlled, and analysed using statistical methods, time-series analysis, and polar plot techniques to assess pollutant variability, identify emission sources, and evaluate the agreement between satellite and ground-based observations. The results revealed clear seasonal and diurnal variations in pollutant levels, with elevated NO2 during winter and enhanced O3 during summer, reflecting the influence of anthropogenic emissions and photochemical processes. Polar plot analysis further identified distinct wind-dependent pollutant patterns, indicating the importance of local emission sources. Comparisons between ground-based and satellite observations showed that TROPOMI successfully captured the temporal variability of NO2 measured by means of LP-DOAS, with a moderate positive correlation (rs = 0.55), but underestimated NO2 relative to MAX-DOAS observations (rs = 0.38), reflecting differences in measurement geometry, spatial resolution, and retrieval sensitivity. The overall findings demonstrate that integrating ground-based and satellite observations provides a more comprehensive understanding of urban air quality than either approach alone. This combined monitoring framework improves confidence in satellite-derived atmospheric products and supports more effective air quality assessment and management in Brighton and similar urban environments.

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