Assessing the Impact of Gas Flaring and Carbon Dioxide Emissions on Precipitation Patterns in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria Using Geospatial Analysis

Abstract

This research utilizes geospatial methodologies to investigate the influence of gas flaring and carbon dioxide emissions on precipitation patterns within the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The study relies on average mean precipitation data sourced from CHRS at the University of Arizona and carbon dioxide emissions data from NASA' s AIRS in Giovanni, spanning from July 2002 to November 2011. To carry out the analysis, ArcGIS 5.0 and SPSS 25, employing Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), were employed to assess CO₂ emissions and rainfall for both November and July during the period from 2002 to 2011. Over the course of this study, it was observed that CO₂ emission exhibited an upward trend, increasing from 327.5226 parts per million (ppm) in July 2002 to 390.0077 ppm in November 2011. Simultaneously, the rainfall demonstrated an increase, rising from 56.66 millimeters to 390.78 millimeters for both July and November from 2002 to 2011. Noteworthy findings emerged from the correlation analysis conducted. Specifically, from July 2000 to 2011, there was a weak positive correlation (0.3858) observed between CO₂ emissions and minimum rainfall, while a strong negative correlation (–0.7998) was identified for maximum rainfall values. In November, both minimum and maximum CO₂ emissions displayed strong negative correlations with rainfall, with coefficients of –0.8255 and –0.7415, respectively. These findings hold significant implications for comprehending the environmental dynamics within the Niger Delta. Policymakers and stakeholders can leverage this knowledge to formulate targeted strategies aimed at mitigating CO₂ emissions and addressing potential climate change-induced alterations in rainfall patterns.