Institute of Environmental Sciences & Engineering
Faculty Muhammad Faheem Khokhar

Muhammad Faheem Khokhar

Professor
Summary

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Fahim Khokhar is working as a Tenured Professor at the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology (IESE, SCEE, NUST) Islamabad, Pakistan. He had his Doctoral degree from Germany followed by three post-doctorates from Germany and France. He excelled in satellite remote sensing, air quality monitoring and assessment, climate change and its impacts, DOAS (differential optical absorption spectroscopy) technique, data retrieval algorithm, and analysis. He worked on various European research projects, like NOVAAC, GEMS, and MACC within the 6th and 7th framework of European commissions. Recently, he has been selected as a member of Pakistan’s Climate Change Council, Ministry of Climate Change, Govt of Pakistan. • At IESE-NUST, Dr. Khokhar is the Director of C-CARGO (Climate Change and Atmospheric Research Group). He is motivated to explore the atmospheric composition of Pakistan and to prepare a regional database of different greenhouse and trace gases by exploiting both satellite and ground-based observations. Currently, he has completed an HEC project titled” Exploring the spatial extent, causes, composition and intensity of winter smog over plains of Punjab” worth (PKRs. 8.9 million) and is working on a project titled “Building Capacity to Improve Air Quality in South Asia: Reducing PM2.5 Through Low-Cost Sensor Network Driven Policy Decisions PM2.5 monitoring” of worth (US $ 2.0 million in collaboration with Duke University, USA. Other research grants include HEC-NRPU (PKRs 11.1 million and 7.3 million), Asia Pacific Network (US $ 90,000), ERASMUS+MIC, France 2021 (36000 Euro), DAAD, Germany (78,758 Euros), NOU, MoCC-Pakistan (PKRs. 1.2 million) UNDP-Islamabad (PKRs.2.8 million), ICIMOD, Nepal (US $ 34000). • He has a commendable research record and was conferred the SCEE-Best researcher award for the year 2020-21. The Focus of his research includes climate change, impacts, mitigation and adaptation, air quality monitoring, and assessment. He has published his work in many scientific journals of international repute such as Nature, Journal of Hazardous material, AMT, Environmental Pollution, Atmospheric environment, etc.

Academic Background
PhD (Atmospheric Sciences And Climate Change) Universität Leipzig March 04, 2002 - November 20, 2006
Honours and Awards
Internl Mountain Day 2017 Ranked No: 1, as Best skit competition to address Climate Change, impacts and Mountainous Ecosystem. December 11, 2017
Innovative Ideas 2018 ranked first in Inter-Universities Competition for Innovative Ideas 2018 held by UNDP and CESTAC- FJWU Rawalipindi March 21, 2018
Publications
Geo-spatial distribution of air pollutants in urban area and its potential health risk analysis solutions June 01, 2025 Urban Climate - Volume 61, Article Number 102380
Estimating Aboveground Biomass and Carbon Sequestration in Afforestation Areas Using Optical/SAR Data Fusion and Machine Learning March 06, 2025 Remote Sensing - Volume 17(5), Article Number 934
Tracking Microplastics in the Air: Cutting-edge Methods for Indoor and Outdoor Environments December 01, 2024 Aerosol and Air Quality Research - Volume: 24, Issue: 12, Pages:12
Estimating afforestation related forest cover change using data fusion and machine learning November 04, 2024 Environmental Research Communications - Volume 6, Number 11, Article Number 115004
Scenario-based HEC-RAS 2D unsteady flow analysis of Shisper Lake for GLOF risk assessment November 02, 2024 Natural Hazards - Pages 1-21
Exploring the dynamics and future projections of land use land cover changes by exploiting geospatial techniques; A case study of the Kabul River Basin October 30, 2024 Heliyon - Volume: 10, Issue: 20, Article Number: e39020
Emerging environmental challenge: a critical review of airborne microplastics September 24, 2024 Environmental Research Communications - Volume: 6, Number: 9, Article Number; 092003, Pages:25
Assessing the impact of socio-demographic factors on municipal water security in planned and unplanned urban centers of Pakistan September 01, 2024 Aqua Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society - Volume:73, Issue:9
In-depth analysis of ambient air pollution changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Asian Monsoon region September 01, 2024 Science of The Total Environment - Volume 941 , Article Number 173145
Drivers of municipal water security and vulnerability in Pakistan: A case study of Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa August 10, 2024 Groundwater for Sustainable Development - Volume: 26, Article Number: 101229
Characterization and source identification of PM2.5 during intense haze episodes in an urban environment of Lahore August 01, 2024 Atmospheric Environment: X - Volume 23, Article Number 100276
In-depth characterization of particulate matter in a highly polluted urban environment at the foothills of Himalaya–Karakorum Region May 13, 2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Volume: 31, Pages: 35705-35726,
Toxicological profile and potential health concerns through metals and trace elements exposure in brick kiln workers from Lahore, Pakistan April 05, 2024 Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Volume:46, Issue:5, Article Number:150
Analyzing land use land cover (LULC) changes induced by the run-of river project and respondent survey: a case of Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project on Indus River, Pakistan March 01, 2024 Environmental Research Communications - Volume 6, Issue 3, Article Number 035002
Exploration of microplastic concentration in indoor and outdoor air samples: Morphological, polymeric, and elemental analysis January 15, 2024 Science of the Total Environment - Volume 908, Article Number 168398
Solving the mysteries of Lahore smog: the fifth season in the country January 05, 2024 Frontiers in Sustainable Cities - Volume 5, Article Number 1314426
Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Land Use Land Cover Changes and Population Dynamics Using Geoinformatics: A Case Study of Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan October 26, 2023 Engineering Proceedings - Volume 56(1), Article Number 103
Monitoring of Ambient Air Quality Patterns and Assessment of Air Pollutants’ Correlation and Effects on Ambient Air Quality of Lahore, Pakistan August 07, 2023 Atmosphere - Volume 14(8), Article Number 1257
Regional and Urban Air Quality in South Asia July 08, 2023 Handbook of Air Quality and Climate Change - Pages 1-37
Antibiotics induced changes in nitrogen metabolism and antioxidative enzymes in mung bean (Vigna radiata) May 15, 2023 Science of the Total Environment - Volume 873, Article Number 162449
Recurring South Asian smog episodes: Call for regional cooperation and improved monitoring February 15, 2023 Atmospheric Environment - Volume 295, Article Number 119534
Exploring the nexus between land use land cover (LULC) changes and population growth in a planned city of islamabad and unplanned city of Rawalpindi, Pakistan February 04, 2023 Heliyon - Volume 9, Issue 2, Article Number e13297
Quantitative Assessment of Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP): Employing Landsat Data and Socio-Economic Survey January 20, 2023 Forests - Volume 14, Issue 2, Article Number 201
Hydrological and ecological impacts of run off river scheme; a case study of Ghazi Barotha hydropower project on Indus River, Pakistan January 12, 2023 Heliyon - Volume 9, Issue 1, Article Number e12659
Observed and predicted precipitation variability across Pakistan with special focus on winter and pre-monsoon precipitation August 16, 2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Pages 1-21
Retrieval of NO2 Columns by Exploiting MAX-DOAS Observations and Comparison with OMI and TROPOMI Data during the Time Period of 2015– 2019 June 01, 2022 Aerosol and Air Quality Research - Volume 22, Issue 6, Article Number 210398
Countries of the Indo-Gangetic Plain must unite against air pollution October 19, 2021 Nature - Volume 598(7881), Pages 415-415
Emerging Challenges of Air Pollution and Particulate Matter in China, India, and Pakistan and Mitigating Solutions August 15, 2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials - Volume 416, Article Number 125851
Spatial trends of maximum and minimum temperatures in different climate zones of Pakistan by exploiting ground-based and space-borne observations July 21, 2021 International Journal of Global Warming - Volume 24, Nos. 3/4, Pages 365-382
A computationally efficient symmetric diagonally dominant matrix projection-based Gaussian process approach June 01, 2021 Signal Processing - Volume 183, Article Number 108034
Inventory and GLOF susceptibility of glacial lakes in Hunza River Basin, Western Karakorum May 05, 2021 Remote Sensing - Volume 13(9), Article Number 1794
A comprehensive study on upgradation of pyrolysis products through co-feeding of waste tire into rice straw under broad range of co-feed ratios in a bench-scale fixed bed reactor March 15, 2021 Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery - Pages 1-15
Exploring the linkage between PM2.5 levels and COVID-19 spread and its implications for socio-economic circles February 01, 2021 Environmental Research - Volume 193, Article Number 110421
An Emerged Challenge of Air Pollution and Ever-Increasing Particulate Matter in Pakistan; A Critical Review January 15, 2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials - Volume 402, Article Number 123943
Monitoring carbon stock and land-use change in 5000-year-old juniper forest stand of Ziarat, Balochistan, through a synergistic approach January 01, 2021 Forests - Volume 12(1), Article Number 51
Investigating the tipping point of crop productivity induced by changing climatic variables January 01, 2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Volume 28, Pages 2923-2933
Atmospheric chemistry research in Monsoon Asia and Oceania: Current status and future prospects December 22, 2020 APN Science Bulletin - Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 126-131
Examining the relationship of tropospheric ozone and climate change on crop productivity using the multivariate panel data techniques October 15, 2020 Journal of Environmental Management - Volume 272, Article Number 111024
The environment and development in contemporary Pakistan: The way forward June 09, 2020 Book on Perspectives on Contemporary Pakistan: Governance, Development and Environment - 1st Edition, Chapter 12, Pages 197-211
Intercomparison of NO2, O4, O3 and HCHO slant column measurements by MAX-DOAS and zenith-sky UV–visible spectrometers during CINDI-2 May 06, 2020 Atmospheric Measurement Techniques - Volume 13, Issue 5, Pages 2169-2208
CO2 Utilization: Turning Greenhouse Gas into Fuels and Valuable Products April 15, 2020 Journal of Environmental Management - Volume 260, Article Number 110059
Forecasting CO2 emissions from energy consumption in Pakistan under different scenarios: The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor April 01, 2020 Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology - Volume 10, Issue 2, Pages 380-389
Investigating the temporal variation of formaldehyde using MAX-DOAS and satellite observations over Islamabad, Pakistan January 01, 2020 Atmospheric Pollution Research - Volume 11, Issue 1, Pages 193-204
Climate Change Indicators and Spatiotemporal Shift in Monsoon Patterns in Pakistan December 29, 2019 Advances in Meteorology - Volume 2019, Article ID 8281201, 14 pages
Identification of dust transport patterns and sources by using MODIS: a technique developed to discriminate dust and clouds September 30, 2019 International Journal of Environment and Pollution - Vol.66(1-3), Pages 80-97
Spatiotemporal Evolution of Atmospheric Ammonia Columns over the Indo-Gangetic Plain by Exploiting Satellite Observations July 01, 2019 Advances in Meteorology - Article Number 7525479, Pages 1-11
Ground-Based MAX-DOAS Observations of CHOCHO and HCHO in Beijing and Baoding, China June 27, 2019 Remote Sensing - Volume 11, Issue 13, Article Number 1524
Investigating the impact of Glyoxal retrieval from MAX-DOAS observations during haze and non-haze conditions in Beijing June 01, 2019 Journal of Environmental Sciences - Volume: 80, Pages: 296-305
Extended database of SO2 column densities over Pakistan by exploiting satellite observations May 01, 2019 Atmospheric Pollution Research - Volume 10, Issue 3, Pages 997-1003
Exposure-Response of Wheat Cultivars to TiO2 Nanoparticles in Contrasted Soils February 17, 2019 Soil and Sediment Contamination - Volume 28, Issue 2, Pages 184-199
Exploring the temporal trends and seasonal behaviour of tropospheric trace gases over Pakistan by exploiting satellite observations February 01, 2019 Atmospheric Environment - Volume 198, Pages 279-290
CO2 capture and storage: A way forward for sustainable environment November 15, 2018 Journal of Environmental Management - Volume 226, Pages 131-144
Monitoring and analysis of formaldehyde columns over RawalpindiIslamabad, Pakistan using MAX-DOAS and satellite observation September 05, 2018 Atmospheric Pollution Research - Volume 9, Issue 5, Pages 840-848
Investigating the Aerosol Type and Spatial Distribution During Winter Fog Conditions over Indo-Gangetic Plains March 27, 2018 Book on Land-Atmospheric Research Applications in South and Southeast Asia (Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry) - Pages 471-497
Multi-sensor temporal assessment of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide column densities over Pakistan January 23, 2018 Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Volume 25, Issue 10,
Spatio-temporal assessment and seasonal variation of tropospheric ozone in Pakistan during the last decade January 06, 2018 Environmental Science and Pollution Research - NULL
Investigating differences in DOAS retrieval codes using MAD-CAT campaign data March 10, 2017 Atmospheric Measurement Techniques - Volume 10, Issue 3, Pages 955-978
Identification and future description of warming signatures over Pakistan with special emphasis on evolution of CO2 levels and temperature during the first decade of the twenty-first century March 01, 2017 Environmental Science And Pollution Research - Volume: 24, Issue: 8, Pages: 7617-7629
Investigating the nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the boundary layer by using multi-axis spectroscopic measurements and comparison with satellite observations January 01, 2017 Environmental Science And Pollution Research - Volume 24, Issue 3, Pages 2827-2839
DYNAMICAL ASSESSMENT OF VEGETATION TRENDS OVER MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK BY USING MODIS VEGETATION INDICES November 01, 2016 Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences - Volume 53, Issue 4, Pages 777-786
Temporal Assessment of NO2 Pollution Levels in Urban Centers of Pakistan by Employing Ground-Based and Satellite Observations August 01, 2016 Aerosol and Air Quality Research - Volume 16, Issue 8, Pages 1854-1867
Comparative Analysis of Atmospheric Glyoxal Column Densities Retrieved from MAX-DOAS Observations in Pakistan and during MAD-CAT Field Campaign in Mainz, Germany May 17, 2016 Atmosphere - Volume 7, Issue 5, Article Number 68
Spatial variance and assessment of nitrogen dioxide pollution in major cities of Pakistan along N5-Highway May 01, 2016 JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES-CHINA - Volume 43, Pages 4-14
Temporal Variability and Characterization of Aerosols across the Pakistan Region during the Winter Fog Periods May 01, 2016 Atmosphere - Volume 7, Issue 5, Article Number 67
Detection of Trends and Seasonal Variation in Tropospheric Nitrogen Dioxide over Pakistan December 01, 2015 Aerosol and Air Quality Research - Volume 15, Issue 7, Pages 2508-2524
Spatio-Temporal Analyses of Formaldehyde over Pakistan by Using SCIAMACHY and GOME-2 Observations October 01, 2015 Aerosol and Air Quality Research - Volume 15, Issue 5, Pages 1760-1773
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation implementation in northern Pakistan August 01, 2015 International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation - Volume 102, Pages 316-323
Application of Remote Sensing Technologies to detect the vegetation changes during past two decades in Islamabad, Pakistan July 01, 2015 Journal of Social Sciences - Volume 4, Number 3, Pages 886-900
Monitoring Formaldehyde Concentration over Islamabad using Ground Based and Satellite Observations April 30, 2015 Journal of Space Technology - Volume 5, Issue 1, Pages 83-90
Assessing the Context of Redd+ in Muree Hill Forest, Pakistan April 23, 2015 Advances in Environmental Biology - Volume 9, Issue 6, Pages 15-20
Assessment of particulate matter (PM10) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons levels at various sites in faisalabad and their potential toxicity March 01, 2015 Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences - Volume 52, Issue 1, Pages 233-238
Spatio-Temporal Analyses of Atmospheric Sulfur Dioxide Column Densities over Pakistan by Using SCIAMACHY Data December 01, 2014 Aerosol and Air Quality Research - Volume 14, Issue 7, Pages 1883-1896
Trans-boundary volcanic SO2 detected over pakistan from satellite observations during the time period 2004-2012 October 01, 2014 Aerosol and Air Quality Research - Volume 14, Issue 6, Pages 1543-1557
Growth Response of Wheat to Titania Nanoparticles Application January 01, 2014 NUST Journal of Eneering Sciences - Volume 7, No.1, Pages 42-46
Satellite observations of atmospheric SO2 from volcanic eruptions during the time-period of 1996–2002 April 27, 2005 ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH - Volume 36, Issue 5, Pages 879-887
Stratospheric chlorine activation in the Arctic winters 1995/96?2001/02 derived from GOME OClO measurements January 01, 2004 ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH - Volume 34, Issue 4, Pages 798-803
Conferences
Climate Change Induced Governance and Economic Challenges in Pakistan and way forward December 13, 2024 - December 13, 2024 Muhammad Faheem Khokhar, Importance of Green Environment and Role of Islamic Banking in changing the financial landscape of Pakistan
Characterizing Forest Cover Dynamics in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Region Using Remote Sensing December 09, 2024 - December 10, 2024 Kashif Khan, Muhammad Faheem Khokhar, Shahid Nawaz Khan, Junaid Aziz Khan, 2024 International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology (FIT)
Smog to Clarity: Challenges and Roadmap to Solutions in Pakistan November 12, 2024 - November 12, 2024 Muhammad Faheem Khokhar, Roundtable Conference on Smog issues in Pakistan
Scientific Methods to Monitor Air Quality and Emission Standards in the Coastal Regions January 31, 2024 - January 31, 2024 Muhammad Faheem Khokhar, IMO's Obligations of Reducing Harmful Emissions at Sea - Pakistan's Perspective and Challenges
Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Land Use Land Cover Changes and Population Dynamics Using Geoinformatics: A Case Study of Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan † October 27, 2023 - November 10, 2023 Kamran, Muhammad Faheem Khokhar, Junaid Aziz Khan, Iftikhar Hussain Adil, 4th International Electronic Conference on Applied Sciences (Engineering Proceedings)
Remote Sensing Based Tools for Air Pollution Monitoring March 13, 2023 - March 15, 2023 Muhammad Faheem Khokhar, International Conference on Remote Sensing, GIS, and Climate Change (RSGCC-2023)
Impact of Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project on Land use/ Land Cover along Indus River March 13, 2023 - March 15, 2023 Ehsan Inam Ullah, Dr. Muhammad Fahim Khokhar, Dr. Shakil Ahmad, Dr. Umer Khayyam, Remote Sensing, GIS and Climate Change (Applications, Strategies, Solutions & Education)
How to manage impacts of climate change in Pakistan February 14, 2023 - February 16, 2023 Muhammad Faheem Khokhar, Partnership for Climate Action; Science 4 Sustainability
Inventory and GLOF susceptibility of glacial lakes in Western Karakoram July 07, 2021 - July 09, 2021 Fakhra Muneeb, Siddique Ullah Baig, Junaid Aziz Khan, Muhammad Fahim Khokhar, GLOF conference & workshop 2021
Maximum and Minimum Temperature trends Analysis over Seasons of Different Climatic Zones of Pakistan from 1978-2016 April 22, 2019 - April 25, 2019 Fasiha Safdar, Muhammad Artshad, Muhammad Fahim Khokhar, 8th Global Conference on Global Warming
Exploring the inter-dependence of tropospheric trace gases over pakistan through impulse response function analysis April 22, 2019 - April 25, 2019 Naila Zeb, Muhammad Fahim Khokhar, Saud Ahmed Khan, Naila Zeb, Muhammad Fahim Khokhar, Saud Ahmed Khan, 8th Global Conference on Global Warming
Exploring the Atmospheric Composition in the Changing Climate Scenario of Pakistan September 25, 2018 - September 29, 2018 MUHAMMAD FAHEEM KHOKHAR, N. Zeb, A. Shoaib, A. Ali, A Hassen, 15th IGAC Science Conference 2018
Air Quality Trends in Pakistan: recent smog event choked the life in the provincial capital city of Lahore November 29, 2017 - December 01, 2017 M. F. Khokhar, Second International Meeting on Environmental Health in Strasbourg, Venue: Council of Europe Strasbourg, France
Smog choked the life in the city of Lahore, Pakistan as air pollution hits hazardous levels November 08, 2017 - November 08, 2017 Muhammad Fahim Khokhar, Junaid Khayyam, Asadullah Shoaib, Zunaira Jabeen, Hira Ishtiaq, Tehreem Mustansar, National Workshop on Air Pollution & Smog: From Science to Solution
An assessment of short lived climate pollutants over Pakistan October 18, 2017 - October 20, 2017 Muhammad Fahim khokhar, M.Qasim, A. Noreen, SPARC Local Workshop on "WCRP Grand Challenges and Regional Climate Change"
Early Growth Response of Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Cultivars to Titanium Dioxide (tio2) Nanoparticles February 22, 2017 - February 23, 2017 Zahra Zahra, Naima Waseem, Rubab Zahra, Muhammad Arshad, Hyung-Kyoon Choi, Amna Parveen, Sofia Baig, Muhammad Fahim Khokhar, International Conference on Bio-approaches for Environment and Sustainability - ICBES-2017
Inter-comparison of CINDI-2 observations for nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde columns August 25, 2016 - October 05, 2016 M. F. Khokhar, Junaid Khayyam Butt, Cabauw Intercomparison of Nitrogen Dioxide Measuring Instruments 2 (CINDI -2)
PD Researcher Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), February 01, 2008 - December 31, 2011
PD Researcher Institute for Environmental Physics November 01, 2006 - January 31, 2008
Scientific researcher Institute for Environmental Physics March 01, 2002 - October 31, 2006