Mapping Concentrations of Carbon Dioxide over Central Kubwa, Abuja, using Geographic Information System

Abstract

The key concept of this study is the presentation of the CO2 emission signature at Central Kubwa as an interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) layer. Such an interactive GIS layer would serve as an environmental audit mechanism tool to monitor compliance with regulations designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions; furthermore, such a layer should be interfaced with the existing Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS). Over 1200 stations of interest (i.e. locations with active sources of CO2 over any 24-hour period) were appropriately geo-referenced and marked in the conventional way, in terms of street identifiers. The stations were re-visited with the CO2 level meter whence information about the outdoor levels of CO2 was logged progressively from one point to the next. Majority of the locations visited for this survey indicated ambient CO2 levels above the 450 parts per million (ppm) thresholds selected for this study. Of the different sources of CO2 identified for this survey, the petrol-powered internal combustion engines predominate. The GIS emission layer maps for this study show that the western segment of Central Kubwa is characterized by heavy red clusters, indicating a high CO2 emission zone, whereas the red clusters are dispersed on the eastern sector, indicating a low CO2 emission zone. This novelty GIS-enabled, Windows-compatible, interactive CO2 map of Central Kubwa is now a veritable planning tool in the hands of environmental monitoring auditors devoted to the issue of global warming and climate change.