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Disputas: Shobitha Shetty

Ph.d.-kandidat Shobitha Shetty ved Institutt for geofag, Det matematisk-naturvitenskapelige fakultet, vil forsvare avhandlingen Synergy of Earth Observation and Machine Learning for Air Quality Monitoring in Europe for graden Philosophiae Doctor.

Shobitha Shetty. Foto: Privat

Shobitha Shetty. Foto: Privat

Disputas og prøveforelesning er i Auditorium 1 i Biologibygningen/Kristine Bonnevies hus. I noen tilfeller vil prøveforelesning og disputas være mulig å delta på digitalt, i så fall blir det lagt ut en lenke til Zoom.

Prøveforelesning

Onsdag 17 september, 10:15-11:00, Aud 1, Biologibygningen/Kristine Bonnevies hus

Satellite Retrievals of Atmospheric Composition: Bridging Climate Change and Air Quality Research

Kreeringssammendrag

Mye svevestøv kan forringe luftkvaliteten og gi betydelige helse- og miljøutfordringer, og er derfor strengt regulert og må reduseres. I sin doktorgradsavhandling har Shobitha Shetty undersøkt hvordan satellittdata, atmosfæremodeller, stasjonsmålinger og lavkostsensorer kan kombineres for å forbedre luftkvalitetsovervåkingen over Europa. Med fokus på svevestøv (PM2.5) og NO2 viser doktorgradsstudien at ved å integrere disse datakildene med maskinlæring gir det mer presise, tidsaktuelle og detaljerte romlige og tidsmessige kart over luftforurensning. Studien viser potensialet i datasynergi og maskinlæring for å styrke overvåking av luftkvalitet og utforming av politikk.

Hovedfunn

Populærvitenskapelig artikkel om Shettys avhandling:

Synergy of Earth Observation and Machine Learning for Air Quality Monitoring in Europe

Air pollution poses major health and environmental challenges, especially in urban areas where nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) dominate. Reliable, timely, and high-resolution estimates are essential for exposure assessments and policymaking, but traditional monitoring networks suffer from limited spatial coverage. In her doctoral thesis, Shobitha Shetty develops a Satellite and Machine Learning (ML)-based Estimation of Surface air quality at High resolution (S-MESH) framework, which are capable of integrating data from satellite retrievals, atmospheric models, meteorology, low-cost sensors (LCS) and regulatory stations to improve NO2 and PM2.5 observations and mapping across Europe.

For NO2, daily 1 km estimates show that fusing TROPOMI satellite data with nightlights, vegetation indices, and meteorology achieves robust predictions, with TROPOMI emerging as a critical input for resolving both routine and episodic air pollution events. For PM2.5, downscaling CAMS regional forecasts to 1 km significantly improves estimates, particularly during high-pollution episodes, while also correcting known winter underestimations of Eastern Europe in CAMS reanalysis. LCS integration further enhances model performance with a convolution-based strategy providing the most accurate urban-scale estimates, capturing localized variations that satellites and models miss.

Overall, the findings in this doctoral work concludes that earth observation-based data synergies with ML deliver more accurate, timely, and scalable air quality information, strengthening both scientific assessments and the basis for environmental policy.

Haze over a city is a visible sign of atmospheric pollution. The picture is of Istanbul, among the largest cities in Europe. Photo:  Anirudha Mahagaonkar
Haze over a city is a visible sign of atmospheric pollution. The picture is of Istanbul, among the largest cities in Europe. Photo:  Anirudha Mahagaonkar

Foto og annen informasjon:

Pressefoto: Shobitha Shetty, portrett; 1200px. Foto: Privat

Annet bildemateriale: Foto med beskrivelse og kreditering som spesifisert i artikkelen over, størrelse 3000px.

Publisert 3. sep. 2025 10:26 - Sist endret 18. sep. 2025 09:42