Evaluation of Acid Rain Impacts Using Geostatistical Analysis and Remotely Sensed Data in Kirkuk City, Iraq

Abstract

Acid rain is linked to the process of urbanization and industrialization and harms buildings. This study aims to evaluate
acid rain in Kirkuk city using GIS-based spatial analysis, mathematical statistical modeling, and laboratory tests and
examine the harmful effects on the city buildings and human health. Precipitation ranges were determined based on
Theisen’s polygon techniques. The methodology is based on two types of laboratory measurements of specific rainfall
samples within the city for the period of January 2021 to March 2022. Geographical Information Systems GISs were
used to verify the spatial distribution and quantity of precipitation data in the study area. Remote sensing RS was also
used for mapping rainfall rates during the study period. According to spatial distribution maps, the acidity level of rain
was classified as (least acidic) ranging between (5.5 and 5.6). Specifically in the southern and south-eastern parts of the
study area. Besides, spatial distributions have been presented with high accuracy with 95% and 83% accuracy ratings in
2021 and 2022, respectively. Thus, we attempt to offer some useful guidelines for conserving buildings so that they are
preserved for a long time. RS and GIS techniques are best suited for estimating and modeling rainfall data
characteristics.