Interaction assessment of air pollutants and environmental variables in Aures, Algeria

Air pollution poses a substantial risk not only to human health but also to the health of ecosystems. Despite the increasing air pollutants in the North Africa region, there are limited studies that identify the factors of air pollution. Further, no study devoted to identify the interaction between air pollution and environmental variables in Algeria. Thus, the primary aim of this study is to determine the interactions between air pollutants and environmental factors in Aures, Algeria. A spatial–temporal distribution was analyzed to determine the air pollutant concentration in the study area for 2019–2021. To this end, we used Sentinel-5P TROPOMI time series data from the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform to estimate the concentration of air pollutants. A trend analysis with a linear regression model was used to determine the interrelationship between NDVI and air pollutant concentration. Findings show that throughout 2019–2021, air pollutants are highly concentrated in the northeast and the southernmost portion of this area, and during the winter and spring seasons. The regression results show that vegetation is negatively associated with PM2.5 (β =  − 0.23, p = 0.04) and SO2 concentration (β =  − 0.65, p = 0.01), while showed a positive association with NO2 (β = 0.31, p = 0.08) and CH4 concentration (β = 1.02, p = 0.00) in this region. These outcomes give quantitative decision-making benchmarks for the rational development, usage, and management of land resources, as well as the attainment of regionally coordinated controls of PM2.5 pollution.