Abstract
This project investigates shifts in atmospheric aerosol characteristics–specifically Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD)–following dust emissions from the Kakhovka Reservoir following the dam’s destruction in 2023. We hypothesized that the dam’s collapse may have introduced a new, localized source of aerosol pollution distinct from existing aerosol patterns. The null hypothesis was that there was no new source of pollution tied to the collapse of the dam. To do this, a time-series analysis was done using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images extracted from Google Earth Engine (GEE) for six years (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024). We focused on the months of May to September for each year. After conducting the analysis, it was found that the dam collapse did not have a significant impact on the aerosol content in the atmosphere. Instead, the data suggested that the aerosol presence following the collapse was consistent with the aerosol cycles in the years prior. However, we did find an abnormal increase in AOD in 2021 over our study period. We believe it was driven by a large dust storm coming from the Sahara Desert that was prominent at the time. The average AOD of the region of interest (ROI) ranged between 0.10-3.70. This result was analogous with the study we analyzed as part of our literature review, further reinforcing our belief that the collapse of Kakhovka reservoir did not impact aerosol content of the area. We failed to reject the null hypothesis; there was no new source of aerosol pollution. Even if a short-term impact was seen, the long-term effects are not present in our study.
