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Alhajeri NS, Al-Fadhli FM, Aly A, Allen DT. Quantifying the impact of urban road traffic on air quality: activity pre-pandemic and during partial and full lockdowns. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:418. [PMID: 38570428 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12572-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
The impact of partial and full COVID lockdowns in 2020 on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in Kuwait was estimated using data extracted from the Directions API of Google Maps and a Python script running as a cronjob. This approach was validated by comparing the predictions based on the app to measuring traffic flows for 1 week across four road segments considered in this study. VMT during lockdown periods were compared to VMT for the same calendar weeks before the pandemic. NOx emissions were estimated based on VMT and were used to simulate the spatial patterns of NOx concentrations using an air quality model (AERMOD). Compared to pre-pandemic periods, VMT was reduced by up to 25.5% and 42.6% during the 2-week partial and full lockdown episodes, respectively. The largest reduction in the traffic flow rate occurred during the middle of these 2-week periods, when the traffic flow rate decreased by 35% and 49% during the partial and full lockdown periods, respectively. The AERMOD simulation results predicted a reduction in the average maximum concentration of emissions directly related to VMT across the region by up to 38%, with the maximum concentration shifting to less populous residential areas as a result of the lockdown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawaf S Alhajeri
- Department of Environmental Technology Management, College of Life Sciences, Kuwait University, 13060, Safat, Kuwait.
| | - Fahad M Al-Fadhli
- Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Petroleum, Kuwait University, 13060, Safat, Kuwait
| | - Ahmed Aly
- Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Petroleum, Kuwait University, 13060, Safat, Kuwait
| | - David T Allen
- Center for Energy and Environmental Resources, The University of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Road, Building 133, M.S. R7100, Austin, TX, 78758, USA
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2
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Qu Y, Liu H, Zhang T, Su H, Wang N, Zhou Y, Shi J, Wang L, Wang Q, Liu S, Zhu C, Cao J. Source-specific light absorption and radiative effects decreases and indications due to the lockdown. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 356:120600. [PMID: 38547823 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
The 'extreme' emission abatement during the lockdown (from the end of 2019 to the early 2020) provided an experimental period to investigate the corresponding source-specific effects of aerosol. In this study, the variations of source-specific light absorption (babs) and direct radiative effect (DRE) were obtained during and after the lockdown period by using the artificial neural network (ANN) and source apportionment environmental receptor model. The results showed that the babs decreased for all sources during the two periods. The most reductions were observed with ∼90% for traffic-related emissions (during the lockdown) and ∼85% for coal combustion (after the lockdown), respectively. Heightened babs (370 nm) values were obtained for coal and biomass burning during the lockdown, which was attributed to the enhanced atmospheric oxidization capacity. Nevertheless, the variations of babs (880 nm) after the lockdown was mainly due to the weakening of oxidation and reduced emissions of secondary precursors. The present study indicated that the large-scale emission reduction can promote both reductions of babs (370 nm) and DRE (34-68%) during the lockdown. The primary emissions decrease (e.g., Traffic emission) may enhance atmosphere oxidation, increase the ultraviolet wavelength light absorption and DRE efficiencies. The source-specific emission reduction may be contributed to various radiation effects, which is beneficial for the adopting of control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Huikun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China
| | - Hui Su
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China; Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Nan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China; Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Yue Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China
| | - Julian Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China; Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Luyao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China; Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Qiyuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China
| | - Suixin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China
| | - Chongshu Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Regional Ecological Environment Change and Comprehensive Management in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, Xi'an, 710499, China.
| | - Junji Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China
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Rosa AH, Stubbings WA, Akinrinade OE, Jeunon Gontijo ES, Harrad S. Neural network for evaluation of the impact of the UK COVID-19 national lockdown on atmospheric concentrations of PAHs and PBDEs. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 341:122794. [PMID: 37926413 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The impact of measures to restrict population mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic on atmospheric concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) is poorly understood. This study analyses the effects of meteorological parameters and mobility restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic on concentrations of PAH and BFRs at the University of Birmingham in the UK utilising a neural network (self-organising maps, SOM). Air sampling was performed using Polyurethane Foam (PUF) disk passive samplers between October 2019 and January 2021. Data on concentrations of PAH and BFRs were analysed using SOM and Spearman's rank correlation. Data on meteorological parameters (air temperature, wind, and relative humidity) and mobility restrictions during the pandemic were included in the analysis. Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) was the most abundant polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) (23-91% Σ7PBDEs) but was detected at lower absolute concentrations (4.2-35.0 pg m-3) than in previous investigations in Birmingham. Air samples were clustered in five groups based on SOM analysis and the effects of meteorology and pandemic-related restrictions on population mobility could be visualised. Concentrations of most PAH decreased during the early stages of the pandemic when mobility was most restricted. SOM analysis also helped to identify the important influence of wind speed on contaminant concentrations, contributing to reduce the concentration of all analysed pollutants. In contrast, concentrations of most PBDEs remained similar or increased during the first COVID-19 lockdown which was attributed to their primarily indoor sources that were either unaffected or increased during lockdown.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Henrique Rosa
- Institute of Science and Technology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Três de Março, 511, Alto da Boa Vista, 18087-180, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil; School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - William A Stubbings
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Olumide Emmanuel Akinrinade
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK; Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Erik Sartori Jeunon Gontijo
- Institute of Science and Technology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Três de Março, 511, Alto da Boa Vista, 18087-180, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil; KISTERS AG, Business Unit HydroMet, Schoemperlenstr.12a, 76185, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Stuart Harrad
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
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Warthon J, Alvarez M, Olarte A, Quispe Y, Jalixto V, Valencia N, Mio-Diaz M, Zamalloa A, Warthon B. Reduction of the concentration of particulate material at a sampling point in Cusco city at the beginning of the pandemic. Sci Rep 2024; 14:849. [PMID: 38191800 PMCID: PMC10774446 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50955-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The pandemic produced by SARS-CoV-2 generated various impacts on public health, the environment and other anthropogenic activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reduction of air pollution due to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] particulate matter in Cusco city at the beginning of the pandemic. Social confinement in Peru began on March 16, 2020, until the end of June. These health measures caused strict isolation that resulted in a significant decrease in vehicle flow on the streets and avenues of the city of Cusco. In the first days of May, even during the time of confinement, we managed to measure air quality at a sampling point located on the campus of the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad de Cusco; a reduction in air pollution due to particulate matter was observed. The evaluation was carried out using an high-volume (HiVol) 3000 particulate matter sampler and the mass of particulate matter adhered to the filters was determined by gravimetry. The concentrations of particulate matter [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] obtained pre-pandemic were compared with those recorded at the beginning of the pandemic. The results revealed a significant average reduction in the concentration of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], reaching - 57.43% and - 59.52%, respectively, compared to pre-pandemic values. At the same time, its relationship with meteorological parameters and Google mobility data was evaluated and it was concluded that these parameters did not significantly affect the reduction of particulate matter. This study reveals the positive effects of the pandemic in reducing air pollution and the confinement measures had as a secondary effect on the decrease in air pollution in Cusco City.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Warthon
- Departamento Académico de Física, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. De La Cultura 733, Cusco, 08003, Peru.
| | - Modesta Alvarez
- Departamento Académico de Biología, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. De La Cultura 733, Cusco, 08003, Peru
| | - Amanda Olarte
- Departamento Académico de Química, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. De La Cultura 733, Cusco, 08003, Peru
| | - Yanett Quispe
- Departamento Académico de Física, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. De La Cultura 733, Cusco, 08003, Peru
| | - Victor Jalixto
- Departamento Académico de Física, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. De La Cultura 733, Cusco, 08003, Peru
| | - Nazaria Valencia
- Departamento Académico de Química, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. De La Cultura 733, Cusco, 08003, Peru
| | - Mirian Mio-Diaz
- Departamento Académico de Biología, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. De La Cultura 733, Cusco, 08003, Peru
| | - Ariatna Zamalloa
- Departamento Académico de Física, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. De La Cultura 733, Cusco, 08003, Peru
| | - Bruce Warthon
- Departamento Académico de Física, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Av. De La Cultura 733, Cusco, 08003, Peru.
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Arter CA, Buonocore JJ, Isakov V, Pandey G, Arunachalam S. Air pollution benefits from reduced on-road activity due to COVID-19 in the United States. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae017. [PMID: 38292536 PMCID: PMC10825624 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
On-road transportation is one of the largest contributors to air pollution in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the unintended experiment of reduced on-road emissions' impacts on air pollution due to lockdowns across the United States. Studies have quantified on-road transportation's impact on fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-attributable and ozone (O3)-attributable adverse health outcomes in the United States, and other studies have quantified air pollution-attributable health outcome reductions due to COVID-19-related lockdowns. We aim to quantify the PM2.5-attributable, O3-attributable, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)-attributable adverse health outcomes from traffic emissions as well as the air pollution benefits due to reduced on-road activity during the pandemic in 2020. We estimate 79,400 (95% CI 46,100-121,000) premature mortalities each year due to on-road-attributable PM2.5, O3, and NO2. We further break down the impacts by pollutant and vehicle types (passenger [PAS] vs. freight [FRT] vehicles). We estimate PAS vehicles to be responsible for 63% of total impacts and FRT vehicles 37%. Nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions from these vehicles are responsible for 78% of total impacts as it is a precursor for PM2.5 and O3. Utilizing annual vehicle miles traveled reductions in 2020, we estimate that 9,300 (5,500-14,000) deaths from air pollution were avoided in 2020 due to the state-specific reductions in on-road activity across the continental United States. By quantifying the air pollution public health benefits from lockdown-related reductions in on-road emissions, the results from this study stress the need for continued emission mitigation policies, like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recently proposed NOX standards for heavy-duty vehicles, to mitigate on-road transportation's public health impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calvin A Arter
- Institute for the Environment, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jonathan J Buonocore
- Department of Environment Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Vlad Isakov
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
| | - Gavendra Pandey
- Institute for the Environment, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Saravanan Arunachalam
- Institute for the Environment, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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6
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De Santis D, Amici S, Milesi C, Muroni D, Romanino A, Casari C, Cannas V, Del Frate F. Tracking air quality trends and vehicle traffic dynamics at urban scale using satellite and ground data before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 899:165464. [PMID: 37454864 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The implications of the COVID-19 outbreak are subjected to an increasing number of studies. So far, air quality trends related to the lockdown due to the pandemic have been analysed in large cities or entire regions. In this work, the region studied is the metropolitan area of Cagliari, which is the main city on the island of Sardinia (Italy) and can be representative of a coastal city that includes industrial settlements. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of restrictions related to the COVID-19 outbreak on air quality levels and the traffic dynamics in this type of urban area. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) levels before, during and after COVID-19 lockdown have been investigated using data acquired from the Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI satellite combined with on-site measurements. Both TROPOMI detected and ground-based data have revealed higher levels of NO₂ before and after the lockdown, compared to those during the period of COVID-related restrictions, in particular in the urban area of Cagliari. On the other hand, NO2 registered in the oil refinery area did not show significant differences associated with lockdown. The correlation of TROPOMI NO₂ tropospheric column with ground data (surface NO2) on a monthly mean basis showed different values based on the background and the highest Pearson's coefficient was of about 0.78 near to the city centre, where traffic can be considered a significant source of emission. In addition, a comparison of the air pollution level with the dynamics of vehicle traffic was investigated. The study highlighted a remarkable correlation between the reduction of the number of vehicles and the corresponding tropospheric NO₂ values that decreased on a weekly mean basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- D De Santis
- Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Science Engineering, "Tor Vergata" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - S Amici
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Sezione ONT, Rome, Italy; SpacEarth Technology S.r.l., Rome, Italy
| | - C Milesi
- CRS4 (Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia), Pula, Italy
| | - D Muroni
- CRS4 (Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia), Pula, Italy
| | - A Romanino
- CRS4 (Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia), Pula, Italy
| | - C Casari
- CRS4 (Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia), Pula, Italy
| | - V Cannas
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Sezione ONT, Rome, Italy; SpacEarth Technology S.r.l., Rome, Italy
| | - F Del Frate
- Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Science Engineering, "Tor Vergata" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Mihăilă D, Lazurca LG, Bistricean IP, Horodnic VD, Mihăilă EV, Emandi EM, Prisacariu A, Nistor A, Nistor B, Roșu C. Air quality changes in NE Romania during the first Covid 19 pandemic wave. Heliyon 2023; 9:e18918. [PMID: 37636459 PMCID: PMC10447937 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This study analyzes for the first time uniformly and causally the level of pollution and air quality for the NE-Romania Region, one of the poorest region in the European Union. Knowing the level of pollution and air quality in this region, which can be taken as a benchmark due to its positional and economic-geographical attributes, responds to current scientific and practical needs. The study uses an hourly database (for five pollutants and five climate elements), from 2009 to 2020, from 19 air quality monitoring stations in northeastern Romania. Pollutant levels were statistically and graphically/cartographically modeled for the entire 2009-2020 interval on the distributive-spatial and regime, temporal component. Inter-station differences and similarities were analyzed causally. Taking advantage of the emergency measures between March 16 and May 14, 2020, we observed the impact of the event on the regional air quality in northeastern Romania. During the emergency period, the metropolitan area of Suceava (with over 100,000 inhabitants) was quarantined, which allowed us to analyze the impact of the quarantine period on the local air quality. We found that, in this region, air quality falls into class I (for NO2, SO2 and CO), II for O3 and III for PM10. During the lockdown periods NO2 and SO2 decreased for the entire region by 8.6 and 14.3%, respectively, and in Suceava by 13.9 and 40.1%, respectively. The causes of the reduction were anthropogenic in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dumitru Mihăilă
- Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
- Applied Geography Research Center - GEA, Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
| | - Liliana Gina Lazurca
- Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
- Applied Geography Research Center - GEA, Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
| | - Ionel-Petruț Bistricean
- Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
- Applied Geography Research Center - GEA, Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
| | - Vasilică-Dănuț Horodnic
- Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
- Applied Geography Research Center - GEA, Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
| | | | - Elena-Maria Emandi
- Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
- Applied Geography Research Center - GEA, Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
| | - Alin Prisacariu
- Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
- Applied Geography Research Center - GEA, Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
| | - Alina Nistor
- Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
- Applied Geography Research Center - GEA, Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
| | | | - Constantin Roșu
- Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
- Applied Geography Research Center - GEA, Department of Geography, Stefan Cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
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Bhuiyan RA, Husain A, Zhang C. Diversification evidence of bitcoin and gold from wavelet analysis. FINANCIAL INNOVATION 2023; 9:100. [PMID: 37275624 PMCID: PMC10232353 DOI: 10.1186/s40854-023-00495-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
To measure the diversification capability of Bitcoin, this study employs wavelet analysis to investigate the coherence of Bitcoin price with the equity markets of both the emerging and developed economies, considering the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent Russia-Ukraine war. The results based on the data from January 9, 2014 to May 31, 2022 reveal that compared with gold, Bitcoin consistently provides diversification opportunities with all six representative market indices examined, specifically under the normal market condition. In particular, for short-term horizons, Bitcoin shows favorably low correlation with each index for all years, whereas exception is observed for gold. In addition, diversification between Bitcoin and gold is demonstrated as well, mainly for short-term investments. However, the diversification benefit is conditional for both Bitcoin and gold under the recent pandemic and war crises. The findings remind investors and portfolio managers planning to incorporate Bitcoin into their portfolios as a diversification tool to be aware of the global geopolitical conditions and other uncertainty in considering their investment tools and durations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Afzol Husain
- School of Business, Swinburne University of Technology, Kuching, Sarawak Malaysia
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9
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Vignesh VG, Jain CD, Saikranthi K, Ratnam MV. Spatial variability of trace gases (NO 2, O 3 and CO) over Indian region during 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:680. [PMID: 37191765 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11318-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 lockdown has given us an opportunity to investigate the pollutant concentrations in response to the restricted anthropogenic activities. The atmospheric concentration levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) have been analysed for the periods during the first wave of COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 (25th March-31st May 2020) and during the partial lockdowns due to second wave in 2021 (25th March-15th June 2021) across India. The trace gas measurements from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Atmosphere InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) satellites have been used. An overall decrease in the concentration of O3 (5-10%) and NO2 (20-40%) have been observed during the 2020 lockdown when compared with business as usual (BAU) period in 2019, 2018 and 2017. However, the CO concentration increased up to 10-25% especially in the central-west region. O3 and NO2 slightly increased or had no change in 2021 lockdown when compared with the BAU period, but CO showed a mixed variation prominently influenced by the biomass burning/forest fire activities. The changes in trace gas levels during 2020 lockdown have been predominantly due to the reduction in the anthropogenic activities, whereas in 2021, the changes have been mostly due to natural factors like meteorology and long-range transport, as the emission levels have been similar to that of BAU. Later phases of 2021 lockdown saw the dominant effect of rainfall events resulting in washout of pollutants. This study reveals that partial or local lockdowns have very less impact on reducing pollution levels on a regional scale as natural factors like atmospheric long-range transport and meteorology play deciding roles on their concentration levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - K Saikranthi
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tirupati, India
| | - M Venkat Ratnam
- National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Gadanki, India
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10
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Chen C, Gao B, Xu M, Liu S, Zhu D, Yang J, Chen Z. The spatiotemporal variation of PM 2.5-O 3 association and its influencing factors across China: Dynamic Simil-Hu lines. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 880:163346. [PMID: 37031933 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, PM2.5 and O3 composite airborne pollution has become one of the most severe environment issues in China. To get a better understanding and tackle these problems, we employed multi-year data to explore the spatiotemporal variation of the PM2.5-O3 relationship in China and investigated its major driving factors. Firstly, interesting patterns were found that named dynamic Simil-Hu lines, which presented a combined effect of natural and anthropogenic influences, were closely related to the spatial patterns of PM2.5-O3 association across seasons. Furthermore, regions with lower altitudes, higher humidity, higher atmospheric pressure, higher temperature, fewer sunshine hours, more accumulated precipitation, denser population and higher GDP often show positive PM2.5-O3 associations, regardless of seasonal variations. Amongst these factors, humidity, temperature and precipitation were dominant factors. This research suggests that the collaborative governance of composite atmospheric pollution should be implemented dynamically, in consideration of geographical locations, meteorological conditions and socioeconomic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenru Chen
- College of Surveying and Geographic Informatics, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Bingbo Gao
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100091, China.
| | - Miaoqing Xu
- College of Global and Earth System Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Shuyi Liu
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Dehai Zhu
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Jianyu Yang
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Ziyue Chen
- College of Global and Earth System Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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11
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Li D, Lasenby J. Investigating impacts of COVID-19 on urban mobility and emissions. CITIES (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023; 135:104246. [PMID: 36811025 PMCID: PMC9935275 DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2023.104246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted human activities in a way never documented in modern history. The prevention policies and measures have abruptly changed well-established urban mobility patterns. In this context, we exploit different sources of urban mobility data to gain insights into the effects of restrictive policies on the daily mobility and exhaust emissions in pandemic and post-pandemic periods. Manhattan, the most densely populated borough in New York City, is chosen as the study area. We collect data generated by taxis, sharing bikes, and road detectors between 2019 and 2021, and estimate exhaust emissions using the COPERT (Computer Programme to calculate Emissions from Road Transport) model. A comparative analysis is conducted to identify important changes in urban mobility and emission patterns, with a particular focus on the lockdown period in 2020 and its counterparts in 2019 and 2021. The results of the paper fuel the discussion on urban resilience and policy-making in a post pandemic world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duo Li
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
- Department of Engineering, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK
| | - Joan Lasenby
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
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12
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Jana A, Kundu S, Shaw S, Chakraborty S, Chattopadhyay A. Spatial shifting of COVID-19 clusters and disease association with environmental parameters in India: A time series analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 222:115288. [PMID: 36682443 PMCID: PMC9850905 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The viability and virulence of COVID-19 are complex in nature. Although the relationship between environmental parameters and COVID-19 is well studied across the globe, in India, such studies are limited. This research aims to explore long-term exposure to weather conditions and the role of air pollution on the infection spread and mortality due to COVID-19 in India. METHOD District-level COVID-19 data from April 26, 2020 to July 10, 2021 was used for the study. Environmental determinants such as land surface temperature, relative humidity (RH), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) were considered for analysis. The bivariate spatial association was used to explore the spatial relationship between Case Fatality Rate (CFR) and these environmental factors. Further, the Bayesian multivariate linear regression model was applied to observe the association between environmental factors and the CFR of COVID-19. RESULTS Spatial shifting of COVID-19 cases from Western to Southern and then Eastern parts of India were well observed. The infection rate was highly concentrated in most of the Western and Southern regions of India, while the CFR shows more concentration in Northern India along with Maharashtra. Four main spatial clusters of infection were recognized during the study period. The time-series analysis indicates significantly more CFR with higher AOD, O3, and NO2 in India. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 is highly associated with environmental parameters and air pollution in India. The study provides evidence to warrant consideration of environmental parameters in health models to mediate potential solutions. Cleaner air is a must to mitigate COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arup Jana
- Department of Population and Development, International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai, 400088, India.
| | - Sampurna Kundu
- Center of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, 110067, India.
| | - Subhojit Shaw
- Department of Population and Development, International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai, 400088, India.
| | - Sukanya Chakraborty
- IMPRS Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Multidisciplinary Sciences, University of Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Aparajita Chattopadhyay
- Department of Population and Development, International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai, 400088, India.
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13
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Zawierucha E, Zawierucha M, Futa B, Mocek-Płóciniak A. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Constraints on the Ecobiochemical Status of Cultivated Soils along Transportation Routes. TOXICS 2023; 11:329. [PMID: 37112556 PMCID: PMC10143448 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11040329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
There is a lack of studies on the impact of COVID-19-related population mobility and freight transport restrictions on the soil environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of automotive pollution on selected parameters describing the quality and healthiness of crop soils based on results obtained before the pandemic (2017-2019) in relation to data from the pandemic period (2020-2021). The study included soils from six cultivated fields located in eastern Poland along national roads (DK No. 74 and 82) and provincial roads (DW No. 761 and 835). Soil samples were taken from distances of 5, 20, 50, and 100 m from the edge of the roadway. The following soil characteristics were determined: pHKCl, content of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and activity of the three enzymes dehydrogenases (ADh), neutral phosphatase (APh), and urease (AU). The degree of traffic-generated soil pollution was assessed by determining the samples' total cadmium and lead levels (Cd and Pb) and total content of 14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Σ14PAHs). The monitoring of cultivated soils showed that the parameters of cultivated soils varied primarily according to the distance from the edge of the roadway. There was an increase in soil acidity and TOC and TN content and a decrease in Cd, Pb, and Σ14PAHs as one moved away from the edge of the roadway. The highest ADh and APh values were found in soils located 100 m from the edge of the road. AU at 5 m and 20 m from the edge of the pavement was significantly higher than at 100 m away. The reduction in vehicular traffic associated with the pandemic did not affect the changes in the reaction of the studied soils and their TOC, TN, and Pb contents. The lowest content of Σ14PAHs was found in 2020. In the case of the amount of Cd in soils, a downward effect was also observed in 2020. However, no significant differences were noted, except for the soils in Skorzeszyce and Łuszczów Kolonia. The reduced influx of xenobiotics into the soil environment stimulated ADh and APh. In the following year (2021), the amounts of tested xenobiotics and enzyme activities in the soils were at a similar level to those in 2019. The results indicate a positive but short-term effect of the pandemic on reducing the contamination of soils located along transportation routes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elżbieta Zawierucha
- Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Emergency Medicine, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, IX Wieków Kielc 19A, 25-317 Kielce, Poland
| | - Marcin Zawierucha
- Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, The Marshal Office of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, IX Wieków Kielc 3, 25-516 Kielce, Poland
| | - Barbara Futa
- Institute of Soil Science and Environment Management, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Leszczyńskiego St. 7, 20-069 Lublin, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Mocek-Płóciniak
- Department of Soil Science and Microbiology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Szydłowska 50, 60-656 Poznan, Poland
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14
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Horton DB, Neikirk AL, Yang Y, Huang C, Panettieri RA, Crystal S, Strom BL, Parlett LE. Childhood asthma diagnoses declined during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Respir Res 2023; 24:72. [PMID: 36899362 PMCID: PMC9999066 DOI: 10.1186/s12931-023-02377-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prior studies have documented declines in pediatric asthma exacerbations and asthma-related health care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic, but less is known about the incidence of asthma during the pandemic. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children under age 18 without a prior diagnosis of asthma within a large US commercial claims database. Incident asthma was defined using a combination of diagnosis codes, location of services, and medication dispensing. Crude quarterly rates of asthma diagnosis per 1000 children were calculated, and the incidence rate ratio and 95% confidence interval were estimated for newly diagnosed asthma during versus before the pandemic using negative binomial regression, adjusted for age, sex, region, and season. RESULTS Compared with 3 years prior to the pandemic, crude incident diagnosis rates of asthma decreased by 52% across the first four quarters of the US pandemic. The covariate-adjusted pandemic-associated incidence rate ratio was 0.47 (95% confidence interval 0.43, 0.51). CONCLUSIONS New diagnoses of childhood asthma in the US declined by half during the first year of the pandemic. These findings raise important questions whether pandemic-related changes in infectious or other triggers truly altered the incidence of childhood asthma beyond the well-described disruptions in healthcare access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Horton
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. .,Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA. .,Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
| | | | | | - Cecilia Huang
- Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Reynold A Panettieri
- Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.,Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Stephen Crystal
- Rutgers Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.,School of Social Work, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Brian L Strom
- Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.,Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
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15
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Wang S, Chu H, Gong C, Wang P, Wu F, Zhao C. The Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Air Pollutant Concentrations across China: A Google Earth Engine-Based Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph192417056. [PMID: 36554934 PMCID: PMC9778968 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192417056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
To overcome the spread of the severe COVID-19 outbreak, various lockdown measures have been taken worldwide. China imposed the strictest home-quarantine measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in the year 2020. This provides a valuable opportunity to study the impact of anthropogenic emission reductions on air quality. Based on the GEE platform and satellite imagery, this study analyzed the changes in the concentrations of NO2, O3, CO, and SO2 in the same season (1 February-1 May) before and after the epidemic control (2019-2021) for 16 typical representative cities of China. The results showed that NO2 concentrations significantly decreased by around 20-24% for different types of metropolises, whereas O3 increased for most of the studied metropolises, including approximately 7% in megacities and other major cities. Additionally, the concentrations of CO and SO2 showed no statistically significant changes during the study intervals. The study also indicated strong variations in air pollutants among different geographic regions. In addition to the methods in this study, it is essential to include the differences in meteorological impact factors in the study to identify future references for air pollution reduction measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Wang
- School of Geographical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security of Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Haijiao Chu
- School of Geographical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security of Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Changyu Gong
- School of Geographical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security of Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Ping Wang
- School of Geographical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security of Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Fei Wu
- CenNavi Technologies Co., Ltd., Beijing 100094, China
| | - Chunhong Zhao
- School of Geographical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security of Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
- State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Beijing 100010, China
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16
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Anbari K, Khaniabadi YO, Sicard P, Naqvi HR, Rashidi R. Increased tropospheric ozone levels as a public health issue during COVID-19 lockdown and estimation the related pulmonary diseases. ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH 2022; 13:101600. [PMID: 36439075 PMCID: PMC9676228 DOI: 10.1016/j.apr.2022.101600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The aims of this study were to i) investigate the variation of tropospheric ozone (O3) levels during the COVID-19 lockdown; ii) determine the relationships between O3 concentrations with the number of COVID-19 cases; and iii) estimate the O3-related health effects in Southwestern Iran (Khorramabad) over the time period 2019-2021. The hourly O3 data were collected from ground monitoring stations, as well as retrieved from Sentinel-5 satellite data for showing the changes in O3 levels pre, during, and after lockdown period. The concentration-response function model was applied using relative risk (RR) values and baseline incidence (BI) to assess the O3-related health effects. Compared to 2019, the annual O3 mean concentrations increased by 12.2% in 2020 and declined by 3.9% in 2021. The spatiotemporal changes showed a significant O3 increase during COVID-19 lockdown, and a negative correlation between O3 levels and the number of COVID-19 cases was found (r = - 0.59, p < 0.05). In 2020, the number of hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases increased by 4.0 per 105 cases, the mortality for respiratory diseases increased by 0.7 per 105 cases, and the long-term mortality for respiratory diseases increased by 0.9 per 105 cases. Policy decisions are now required to reduce the surface O3 concentrations and O3-related health effects in Iran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khatereh Anbari
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
| | - Yusef Omidi Khaniabadi
- Occupational and Environmental Health Research Center, Petroleum Industry Health Organization (PIHO), Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Pierre Sicard
- ARGANS, 260 Route Du Pin Montard, 06410, Biot, France
| | - Hasan Raja Naqvi
- Department of Geography, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Rajab Rashidi
- Department of Occupational Health, Nutritional Health Research Center, School of Health and Nutrition, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
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17
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Lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic: A case study from Indian cities shows insignificant effects on persistent property of urban air quality. GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS 2022; 13. [PMID: 37521136 PMCID: PMC9445527 DOI: 10.1016/j.gsf.2021.101284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The influence of reduction in emissions on the inherent temporal characteristics of PM2.5 and NO2 concentration time series in six urban cities of India is assessed by computing the Hurst exponent using Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) during the lockdown period (March 24–April 20, 2020) and the corresponding period during the previous two years (i.e., 2018 and 2019). The analysis suggests the anticipated impact of confinement on the PM2.5 and NO2 concentration in urban cities, causing low concentrations. It is observed that the original PM2.5 and NO2 concentration time series is persistent but filtering the time series by fitting the autoregressive process of order 1 on the actual time series and subtracting it changes the persistence property significantly. It indicates the presence of linear correlations in the PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations. Hurst exponent of the PM2.5 and NO2 concentration during the lockdown period and previous two years shows that the inherent temporal characteristics of the short-term air pollutant concentrations (APCs) time series do not change even after withholding the emissions. The meteorological variations also do not change over the three time periods. The finding helps in developing the prediction models for future policy decisions to improve urban air quality across cities.
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Key Words
- apcs, air pollutant concentrations
- pm2.5, particulate matter of size <2.5 µm
- no2, nitrogen dioxide
- soc, self-organizing criticality
- dfa, detrended fluctuation analysis
- y, time series of apcs
- n, length of the time series or number of observations
- <y>, mean of time series y
- τ, time lag
- z(k), integration of time series y
- n, segment length
- zn(k), y coordinate of the straight line used to detrend the time series z(k)
- f(n), detrended fluctuation function or the root mean square fluctuation
- α, scaling exponent
- urban air quality
- lockdown
- persistence
- temporal correlations
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18
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Tan E. The Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns in Istanbul. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph192114235. [PMID: 36361120 PMCID: PMC9654864 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) have set sustainability development goals to reduce diseases, deaths, and the environmental impact of cities due to air pollution. In Istanbul, although average pollutant concentrations have been on a downward trend in recent years, extreme values and their annual exceedance numbers are high based on the air quality standards of WHO and the EU. Due to COVID-19 lockdowns, statistically significant reductions in emissions were observed for short periods. However, how long the effect of the lockdowns will last is unknown. For this reason, this study aims to investigate the impact of long-term lockdowns on Istanbul's air quality. The restriction period is approximated to the same periods of the previous years to eliminate seasonal effects. A series of paired t-tests (p-value < 0.05) were applied to hourly data from 12 March 2016, until 1 July 2021, when quarantines were completed at 36 air quality monitoring stations in Istanbul. The findings reveal that the average air quality of Istanbul was approximately 17% improved during the long-term lockdowns. Therefore, the restriction-related changes in emission distributions continued in the long-term period of 476 days. However, it is unknown how long this effect will continue, which will be the subject of future studies. Moreover, it was observed that the emission probability density functions changed considerably during the lockdowns compared to the years before. Accordingly, notable decreases were detected in air quality limit exceedances in terms of both excessive pollutant concentrations and frequency of occurrence, respectively, for PM10 (-13% and -13%), PM2.5 (-16% and -30%), and NO2 (-3% and -8%), but not for O3 (+200% and +540%) and SO2 (-10% and +2.5%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Elçin Tan
- Department of Meteorological Engineering, Aeronautics and Astronautics Faculty, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, 34469 Istanbul, Turkey
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19
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Bakola M, Hernandez Carballo I, Jelastopulu E, Stuckler D. The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on air pollution in Europe and North America: a systematic review. Eur J Public Health 2022; 32:962-968. [PMID: 36074061 PMCID: PMC9494388 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiple studies report reductions in air pollution associated with COVID-19 lockdowns. METHODS We performed a systematic review of the changes observed in hazardous air pollutants known or suspected to be harmful to health, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM). We searched PubMed and Web of Science for studies reporting the associations of lockdowns with air pollutant changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and North America. RESULTS One hundred nine studies were identified and analyzed. Several pollutants exhibited marked and sustained reductions. The strongest was NO2 (93% of 89 estimated changes were reductions) followed by CO (88% of 33 estimated pollutant changes). All NOx and benzene studies reported significant reductions although these were based on fewer than 10 estimates. About three-quarters of PM2.5 and PM10 estimates showed reductions and few studies reported increases when domestic fuel use rose during COVID-19 lockdowns. In contrast, O3 levels rose as NOx levels fell. SO2 and ammonia (NH3) had mixed results. In general, greater reductions appeared when lockdowns were more severe, as well as where baseline pollutant levels were higher, such as at low-elevation and in densely populated areas. Substantial and robust reductions in NO2, NO, CO, CO2, PM2.5, PM10, benzene and air quality index pollution occurred in association with COVID-19 lockdowns. O3 levels tended to increase, while SO2 and NH3 had mixed patterns. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows the profound impact of human activity levels on air pollution and its potential avoidability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Bakola
- Research Unit for General Medicine and Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Science, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.,Department of Public Health, Medical School, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Ireri Hernandez Carballo
- Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy.,RFF-CMCC European Institute of Economics and the Environment, Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici, Milan, Italy
| | - Eleni Jelastopulu
- Department of Public Health, Medical School, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - David Stuckler
- Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy.,Department of Social & Political Sciences and Dondena Research Centre, University of Bocconi, Milan, Italy
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20
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Baimatova N, Omarova A, Muratuly A, Tursumbayeva M, Ibragimova OP, Bukenov B, Kerimray A. Seasonal Variations and Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions on the Air Quality in the Cities of Kazakhstan. ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES 2022. [PMCID: PMC9395825 DOI: 10.1007/s40710-022-00603-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on different air pollutants in eight cities of Kazakhstan by employing the data from the National Air Quality Monitoring Network. We selected eight cities located in different regions of the country with varied climatic and geographic conditions and emissions sources, providing good conditions for studying the differences in responses of air quality to COVID-19. Due to severe winters, the heating season in Kazakhstan has a significant impact on air quality; therefore, annual winter/spring changes in air quality were also compared. The positive effect of the COVID-19 lockdown (spring 2020) on NO2 and CO levels was observed in 5 and 3 cities, respectively (out of 8). Total Suspended Particles and SO2 exhibited a more complicated response to COVID-19 lockdown: cities had a varying effect. No impact of lockdown measures was observed in industrial cities (Ust-Kamenegorsk and Karagandy), but seasonal changes were significant. In addition, despite some improvements during the lockdown period, the air quality in seven out of eight cities was still below the safety levels. The atmospheric quality in urban areas of Kazakhstan has not improved significantly due to the lockdown measures. This study underscores the importance of imposing stricter air quality emission control over industrial enterprises and coal-fired power plants. Response of air quality to COVID-19 lockdown in eight cities of Kazakhstan was examined The positive effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on NO2 and CO was observed in 5 and 3 cities, respectively The effect of the quarantine measures on SO2 and TSP was different in different cities Industrial cities were not affected by the lockdown, but seasonal changes were significant NO2 and SO2 concentrations exceeded the WHO limits during the COVID-19 lockdown period
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Affiliation(s)
- Nassiba Baimatova
- Center of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 96a Tole bi Street, 050012 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Anara Omarova
- Center of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 96a Tole bi Street, 050012 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Aset Muratuly
- Center of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 96a Tole bi Street, 050012 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Madina Tursumbayeva
- Center of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 96a Tole bi Street, 050012 Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Olga P. Ibragimova
- Center of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 96a Tole bi Street, 050012 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Bauyrzhan Bukenov
- Center of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 96a Tole bi Street, 050012 Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Aiymgul Kerimray
- Center of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 96a Tole bi Street, 050012 Almaty, Kazakhstan
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21
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Millán-Martínez M, Sánchez-Rodas D, Sánchez de la Campa AM, de la Rosa J. Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown measures in Southern Spain on PM10 trace element and gaseous pollutant concentrations. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 303:134853. [PMID: 35537626 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Trace element concentrations within PM10, gaseous pollutants (NO2 and SO2), and PM10 levels were studied during the Covid-19 lockdown at a regional level in Southern Spain (Andalusia). Pollutant concentrations were compared considering different mobility periods (pre-lockdown, lockdown, and relaxation) in 2020 and previous years (2013-2016). An acute decrease in NO2 levels (<50%) was observed as a consequence of traffic diminution during the confinement period. Moreover, a lower reduction in PM10 levels and a non-clear pattern for SO2 levels were observed. During the lockdown period, PM10 elements released from traffic emissions (Sn and Sb) showed the highest concentration diminution in the study area. Regarding the primary industrial sites, there were no significant differences in V, Ni, La, and Cr concentration reduction during 2020 associated with industrial activity (stainless steel and oil refinery) in Algeciras Bay. Similarly, concentrations of Zn showed the same behaviour at Cordoba, indicating that the Zn-smelter activity was not affected by the lockdown. Nevertheless, stronger reductions of Cu, Zn, and As in Huelva during the confinement period indicated a decrease in the nearby Cu-smelter emissions. Brick factories in Bailen were also influenced by the confinement measures, as corroborated by the marked decrease in concentrations of Ni, V, Cu, and Zn during the lockdown compared to that from previous years. This work has shown the baseline concentrations of trace elements of PM10, which is of great value to air quality managers in order to minimise pollution levels by applying the confinement of the population, affecting both traffic and industrial anthropogenic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Millán-Martínez
- Associate Unit CSIC-University of Huelva "Atmospheric Pollution", Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry - CIQSO, University of Huelva, E21071, Huelva, Spain; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus El Carmen s/n, 21071, Huelva, Spain.
| | - Daniel Sánchez-Rodas
- Associate Unit CSIC-University of Huelva "Atmospheric Pollution", Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry - CIQSO, University of Huelva, E21071, Huelva, Spain; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus El Carmen s/n, 21071, Huelva, Spain
| | - Ana M Sánchez de la Campa
- Associate Unit CSIC-University of Huelva "Atmospheric Pollution", Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry - CIQSO, University of Huelva, E21071, Huelva, Spain; Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus El Carmen s/n, 21071, Huelva, Spain
| | - Jesús de la Rosa
- Associate Unit CSIC-University of Huelva "Atmospheric Pollution", Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry - CIQSO, University of Huelva, E21071, Huelva, Spain; Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus El Carmen s/n, 21071, Huelva, Spain
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22
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Spatio-temporal analysis of air quality and its relationship with COVID-19 lockdown over Dublin. REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS: SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT 2022; 28:100835. [PMID: 36196454 PMCID: PMC9523949 DOI: 10.1016/j.rsase.2022.100835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Air pollution has become one of the biggest challenges for human and environmental health. Major pollutants such as Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Ozone (O3), Carbon Monoxide (CO), and Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) are being ejected in a large quantity every day. Initially, authorities did not implement the strictest mitigation policies due to pressures of balancing the economic needs of people and public safety. Still, after realizing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world imposed a complete lockdown to contain the outbreak, which had the unexpected benefit of causing a drastic improvement in air quality. The present study investigates the air pollution scenarios over the Dublin city through satellites (Sentinel-5P and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and ground-based observations. An average of 28% reduction in average NO2 level and a 27.7% improvement in AQI (Air Quality Index) was experienced in 2020 compared to 2019 during the lockdown period (27 March–05 June). We found that PM10 and PM2.5 are the most dominating factor in the AQI over Dublin.
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23
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Galán-Madruga D. Urban air quality changes resulting from the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : IJEST 2022; 20:7083-7098. [PMID: 36035638 PMCID: PMC9391654 DOI: 10.1007/s13762-022-04464-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This work aims to quantify potential pollution level changes in an urban environment (Madrid city, Spain) located in South Europe due to the lockdown measures for preventing the SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Polluting 11 species commonly monitored in urban zones were attended. Except for O3, a prompt target pollutant levels abatement was reached, intensely when implanted stricter measures and moderately along those measures' relaxing period. In the case of TH and CH4, it is evidenced a progressive diminution over the lockdown period. While the highest decreasing average changes relapsed on NOx (NO2: - 40.0% and NO: - 33.3%) and VOCs (C7H8: - 36.3% and C6H6: - 32.8%), followed by SO2 (- 27.0%), PM10 (- 19.7%), CO (- 16.6%), CH4 (- 14.7%), TH (- 11.6%) and PM2.5 (- 10.1%), the O3 level slightly raised 0.4%. These changes were consistently dependent on the measurement station location, emphasizing urban background zones for SO2, CO, C6H6, C7H8, TH and CH4, suburban zones for PM2.5 and O3, urban traffic sites for NO and PM10, and keeping variations reasonably similar at all the stations in the case of NO2. Those pollution changes were not translated in variations on geospatial pattern, except for NO, O3 and SO2. Although the researched urban atmosphere improvement was not attributable to meteorological conditions' variations, it was in line with the decline in traffic intensity. The evidenced outcomes might offer valuable clues to air quality managers in urban environments regarding decision-making in favor of applying punctual severe measures for quickly and considerably relieving polluting high load occurred in urban environments. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13762-022-04464-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Galán-Madruga
- Department of Atmospheric Pollution, National Center for Environment Health, Health Institute Carlos III, Ctra. Majadahonda a Pozuelo Km 2,2. Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
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24
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Vila D, J McDermott TK. On the frontlines : An exploratory analysis of unequal exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 in the United States. Int J Equity Health 2022; 21:105. [PMID: 35927667 PMCID: PMC9351071 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-022-01705-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent literature has suggested a link between poor air quality and worse COVID-19 outcomes. In the United States, this link is particularly noteworthy because of residential sorting along ethnic lines within the US population; minorities are disproportionately exposed to health hazards, including air pollution. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have also been disproportionately concentrated amongst minorities. We explore the association between air quality and COVID-19 outcomes, using county level data for the United States from the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, and test whether exposure to more polluted air can account for some of the observed disparities in COVID-19 outcomes among minorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Vila
- Centre for Economic Research on Inclusivity and Sustainability (CERIS) J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Thomas K J McDermott
- Centre for Economic Research on Inclusivity and Sustainability (CERIS) J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
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25
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Abduljabbar RL, Liyanage S, Dia H. A systematic review of the impacts of the coronavirus crisis on urban transport: Key lessons learned and prospects for future cities. CITIES (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2022; 127:103770. [PMID: 35663145 PMCID: PMC9135703 DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2022.103770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on the transport sector worldwide. Lockdown and physical distancing requirements continue to be enforced in many cities leading to severe travel restrictions and travel demand reduction to limit the spread of the disease. This article provides bibliometric evidence-based insights into how the pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of established public transport systems and shared mobility solutions. It shows how some transport interventions can accelerate the shift to sustainable urban mobility practices such as micro-mobility and active transport. To accomplish this, the article examines recent studies (244 publications) from the Scopus database using a rigorous systematic literature review approach covering the period from January 2020 to February 2021. Importantly, the mapping of bibliographic coupling and co-citation analysis showed four heterogeneous clusters representing research efforts into "environment", "travel behavior and mode choice", "public transport", and "interventions". Inductive reasoning is used to analyze the disruptions that cities have encountered worldwide, the rapid interventions that were put in place, the aftershocks and the short and long-term impacts. Finally, the paper summarizes the lessons learned and opportunities ahead, and the challenges that must be overcome. The article also outlines pathways to build on the momentum of sustainable practices as part of a holistic approach for enabling resilient transport solutions for the new urban world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hussein Dia
- Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
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26
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Staehle C, Mayer M, Kirchsteiger B, Klaus V, Kult-Herdin J, Schmidt C, Schreier S, Karlicky J, Trimmel H, Kasper-Giebl A, Scherllin-Pirscher B, Rieder HE. Quantifying changes in ambient NOx, O3 and PM10 concentrations in Austria during the COVID-19 related lockdown in spring 2020. AIR QUALITY, ATMOSPHERE & HEALTH 2022; 15:1993-2007. [PMID: 35891896 PMCID: PMC9305063 DOI: 10.1007/s11869-022-01232-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
During spring 2020, unprecedented changes in local and regional emissions have occurred around the globe due to governmental restrictions associated with COVID-19. Many European countries including Austria issued partial curfews or stay-at-home order policies, which have impacted ambient air quality through reductions in non-essential transportation and energy consumption of industrial sites and work places. Here, we analyse the effect of these measures on ambient concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM10) during the first nationwide lockdown in Austria (16.03.2020 to 14.04.2020). To ensure a robust analysis, the Austrian domain is divided into four individual subsectors contingent on regional climate. For air quality analysis a novel method is applied for filtering days with comparable weather conditions during the 2020 lockdown and spring 2017 to 2019. In general, our analysis shows decreasing pollutant concentrations, although in magnitude dependent on pollutant and regional subdomain. Largest reductions are found for NOx reaching up to −68% at traffic sites reflecting the substantial decrease in non-essential transport. Changes in the O3 concentrations at background sites show a rather weak response to NOx declines varying between roughly −18 to +8% for both the median and the upper tail of the distribution. Occasional site level increases in O3 concentrations can be attributed to comparably weak titration during night-time. PM10 concentrations show the smallest response among air pollutants, attributable to manifold precursor sources not affected by the lockdown measures. However, our analysis indicates also a shift of PM10 distributions at traffic sites closer to distributions observed at background sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Staehle
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - M Mayer
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - B. Kirchsteiger
- Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - V. Klaus
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - J. Kult-Herdin
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - C. Schmidt
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - S. Schreier
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - J. Karlicky
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Atmospheric Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - H. Trimmel
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - A. Kasper-Giebl
- Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - H. E. Rieder
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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27
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Long-Term COVID-19 Restrictions in Italy to Assess the Role of Seasonal Meteorological Conditions and Pollutant Emissions on Urban Air Quality. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13071156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A year-round air quality analysis was addressed over four Italian cities (Milan, Turin, Bologna, and Florence) following the outbreak of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. NO2, O3, PM2.5, and PM10 daily observations were compared with estimations of meteorological variables and observations of anthropogenic emission drivers as road traffic and heating systems. Three periods in 2020 were analysed: (i) the first (winter/spring) lockdown, (ii) the (spring/summer) partial relaxation period, and (iii) the second (autumn/winter) lockdown. During the first lockdown, only NO2 concentrations decreased systematically (and significantly, between −41.9 and −53.9%), mainly due to the drastic traffic reduction (−70 to −74%); PM2.5 varied between −21 and +18%, PM10 varied between −23 and +9%, and O3 increased (up to +17%). During the partly relaxation period, no air quality issues were observed. The second lockdown was particularly critical as, although road traffic significantly reduced (−30 to −44%), PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations dramatically increased (up to +87 and +123%, respectively), mostly due to remarkably unfavourable weather conditions. The latter was confirmed as the main driver of PM’s most critical concentrations, while strong limitations to anthropogenic activity—including traffic bans—have little effect when taken alone, even when applied for more than two months and involving a whole country.
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28
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Li K, Ni R, Jiang T, Tian Y, Zhang X, Li C, Xie C. The regional impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the air quality in Ji'nan, China. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12099. [PMID: 35840644 PMCID: PMC9284497 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16105-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of strict lockdown measures were implemented in the areas most affected by COVID-19 in China, including Ji’nan city, from 24 January to 7 February 2020. Due to these forced restrictions, the pollution levels in cities across the country drastically decreased within just a few days. Since traffic pollution and industrial emissions are important factors affecting regional air quality, congestion has a significant impact on the environment. Therefore, using the aid of air quality data for six pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO and O3) from 11 monitoring stations (located in urban, suburban and urban-industrial regions) across Ji’nan, we employed the air quality index (AQI) to investigate the spatial pattern of air quality in the pre-COVID-19 (pre-COVID) and COVID-19-related lockdown (COVID lockdown) periods. The results showed that air quality significantly improved during the COVID lockdown period. Among the selected pollutants, compared to the corresponding pre-COVID levels, the greatest reduction was observed for the concentration of NO2 (54.02%), while the smallest reduction was observed for the concentration of SO2 (27.92%). The PM2.5 (38.73%), PM10 (44.92%) and CO (30.60%) levels also decreased during the COVID lockdown period; only the O3 concentration increased (37.42%) during this period. Overall, air quality improved by approximate improvements of 37.33% during the COVID lockdown period. Approximately 35.48%, 37.01% and 43.43% in the AQI were observed in urban, suburban and urban-industrial regions, respectively. Therefore, the AQI exhibited remarkable regional differences in Ji'nan. This study demonstrates the contributions of the transportation sector and local emissions to improving air quality in typical urban areas, and these research results can provide guidance for the further monitoring of air pollution in northern Chinese cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Li
- Forestry College of Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, People's Republic of China.,Mountain Tai Forest Ecosystem Research Station of State Forestry Administration/Key Laboratory of State Forestry Administration for Silviculture of the Lower Yellow River, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, China
| | - Ruiqiang Ni
- Forestry College of Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, People's Republic of China.,Mountain Tai Forest Ecosystem Research Station of State Forestry Administration/Key Laboratory of State Forestry Administration for Silviculture of the Lower Yellow River, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, China
| | - Tenglong Jiang
- Jinan Eco-environmental Monitoring Center of Shandong Province, Ji'nan, 250014, Shandong, China
| | - Yaozhen Tian
- Forestry College of Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, People's Republic of China.,Mountain Tai Forest Ecosystem Research Station of State Forestry Administration/Key Laboratory of State Forestry Administration for Silviculture of the Lower Yellow River, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, China
| | - Xinwen Zhang
- Forestry College of Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuanrong Li
- Forestry College of Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, People's Republic of China. .,Mountain Tai Forest Ecosystem Research Station of State Forestry Administration/Key Laboratory of State Forestry Administration for Silviculture of the Lower Yellow River, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, China.
| | - Chunying Xie
- Forestry College of Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, People's Republic of China
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29
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Mohamed BA, Fattah IMR, Yousaf B, Periyasamy S. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment, waste management, and energy sectors: a deeper look into the long-term impacts. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:46438-46457. [PMID: 35499739 PMCID: PMC9059688 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20259-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic not only has caused a global health crisis but also has significant environmental consequences. Although many studies are confirming the short-term improvements in air quality in several countries across the world, the long-term negative consequences outweigh all the claimed positive impacts. As a result, this review highlights the positive and the long-term negative environmental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by evaluating the scientific literature. Remarkable reduction in the levels of CO (3 - 65%), NO2 (17 - 83%), NOx (24 - 47%), PM2.5 (22 - 78%), PM10 (23 - 80%), and VOCs (25 - 57%) was observed during the lockdown across the world. However, according to this review, the pandemic put enormous strain on the present waste collection and treatment system, resulting in ineffective waste management practices, damaging the environment. The extensive usage of face masks increased the release of microplastics/nanoplastics (183 to 1247 particles piece-1) and organic pollutants in land and water bodies. Furthermore, the significant usages of anti-bacterial hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and pharmaceuticals have increased the accumulation of various toxic emerging contaminants (e.g., triclocarban, triclosan, bisphenol-A, hydroxychloroquine) in the treated sludge/biosolids and discharged wastewater effluent, posing great threats to the ecosystems. This review also suggests strategies to create long-term environmental advantages. Thermochemical conversions of solid wastes including medical wastes and for treated wastewater sludge/biosolids offer several advantages through recovering the resources and energy and stabilizing/destructing the toxins/contaminants and microplastics in the precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Badr A Mohamed
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt.
| | - I M Rizwanul Fattah
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, 2007 NSW, Australia
| | - Balal Yousaf
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and the Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Selvakumar Periyasamy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, Adama Science and Technology University, 1888, Adama, Ethiopia
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30
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Monitoring Spatiotemporal Distribution of the GDP of Major Cities in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19138048. [PMID: 35805721 PMCID: PMC9265774 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19138048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Monitoring the fine spatiotemporal distribution of urban GDP is a critical research topic for assessing the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on economic and social growth. Based on nighttime light (NTL) images and urban land use data, this study constructs a GDP machine learning and linear estimation model. Based on the linear model with better effect, the monthly GDP of 34 cities in China is estimated and the GDP spatialization is realized, and finally the GDP spatiotemporal correction is processed. This study analyzes the fine spatiotemporal distribution of GDP, reveals the spatiotemporal change trend of GDP in China’s major cities during the current COVID-19 pandemic, and explores the differences in the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on China’s major cities. The result shows: (1) There is a significant linear association between the total value of NTL and the GDP of subindustries, with R2 models generated by the total value of NTL and the GDP of secondary and tertiary industries being 0.83 and 0.93. (2) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the GDP of cities with varied degrees of development and industrial structures obviously varies across time and space. The GDP of economically developed cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are more affected by COVID-19, while the GDP of less developed cities such as Xining and Lanzhou are less affected by COVID-19. The GDP of China’s major cities fell significantly in February. As the COVID-19 outbreak was gradually brought under control in March, different cities achieved different levels of GDP recovery. This study establishes a fine spatial and temporal distribution estimation model of urban GDP by industry; it accurately monitors and assesses the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of urban GDP during the COVID-19 pandemic, reveals the impact mechanism of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic development of major Chinese cities. Moreover, economically developed cities should pay more attention to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. It should do well in pandemic prevention and control in airports and stations with large traffic flow. At the same time, after the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control, they should speed up the resumption of work and production to achieve economic recovery. This study provides scientific references for COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, as well as for the formulation of urban economic development policies.
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31
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O'Leary H, Parr S, El-Sayed MMH. The breathing human infrastructure: Integrating air quality, traffic, and social media indicators. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154209. [PMID: 35240171 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Outdoor air pollution is a complex system that is responsible for the deaths of millions of people annually, yet the integration of interdisciplinary data necessary to assess air quality's multiple metrics is still lacking. This case study integrates atmospheric indicators (concentrations of criteria pollutants including particulate matter and gaseous pollutants), traffic indicators (permanent traffic monitoring station data), and social indicators (community responses in Twitter archives) representing the interplay of the three critical pillars of the United Nations' Triple Bottom Line: environment, economy, and society. During the watershed moment of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in Florida, urban centers demonstrated the gaps and opportunities for understanding the relationships, through correlations rather than causations, between urban air quality, traffic emissions, and public perceptions. The relationship between the perception and the traffic variables were strongly correlated, however no correlation was observed between the perception and actual air quality indicators, except for NO2. These observations might consequently infer that traffic serves as people's proxy for air quality, regardless of actual air quality, suggesting that social media messaging around asthma may be a way to monitor traffic patterns in areas where no infrastructure currently exists or is prohibited to build. It also indicates that people are less likely to be reliable sensors to accurately measure air quality due to bias in their observations of traffic volume and/or confirmation biases in broader social discourse. Results presented herein are of significance in demonstrating the capacity for interdisciplinary studies to consider the predictive capacities of social media and air pollution, its use as both lever and indicator of public support for air quality legislation and clean-air transitions, and its ability to overcome limitations of surface monitoring stations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather O'Leary
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA
| | - Scott Parr
- Department of Civil Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, USA
| | - Marwa M H El-Sayed
- Department of Civil Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, USA.
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32
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Perillo HA, Broderick BM, Gill LW, McNabola A, Kumar P, Gallagher J. Spatiotemporal representativeness of air pollution monitoring in Dublin, Ireland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154299. [PMID: 35257774 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The importance of selecting appropriate air pollution monitoring sites in a city is vital for accurately reporting air quality, enhancing the quality of high-resolution modelling and informing policy to implement measures to deliver cleaner air in the urban environment. COVID-19 restrictions impacted air quality in urban centres worldwide as reduced mobility led to changes in traffic-related air pollution (TRAP). As such, it offered a unique dataset to examine the spatial and temporal variations in air quality between monitoring stations in Dublin, Ireland. Firstly, an analysis of mobility data showed reductions across almost all sectors after COVID-19 restrictions came into place, which was expected to lower TRAP. In addition, similar changes in air quality were evident to other cities around the world: reductions in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations and an increase in ozone (O3) concentrations. Average daily and diurnal concentrations for these three pollutants presented more statistically significant spatial and temporal changes during COVID-19 restrictions at monitoring sites with urban or traffic classifications than suburban background sites. Furthermore, substantial reductions in the range of average hourly pollutant concentrations were observed, 79% for PM2.5 and 75% for NO2, with a modest 24% reduction for O3. Correlation analysis of air pollution between monitoring sites and years demonstrated an improvement in the R2 for NO2 concentrations only, suggesting that spatiotemporal homogeneity was most notable for this TRAP due to mobility restrictions during COVID-19. The spatiotemporal representativeness of monitoring stations across the city will change with greener transport, and air quality during COVID-19 can provide a benchmark to support the introduction of new policies for cleaner air.
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Perillo
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland.
| | - B M Broderick
- Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland
| | - L W Gill
- Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland
| | - A McNabola
- Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland
| | - P Kumar
- Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland; Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - J Gallagher
- Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland
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Azad S, Ghandehari M. Emissions of nitrogen dioxide in the northeast U.S. during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 312:114902. [PMID: 35364514 PMCID: PMC9758611 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We have quantified the emissions of Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States during the COVID-19 lockdown. The measurement of NO2 emission serves as the indicator for the emission of the group of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Approximately 56% of NO2 emissions in the US are from mobile sources, and the remainder is from stationary sources. Since 2002, clean air regulations have resulted in approximately 5% compound annual reduction of NOx emissions in the US (8.2% in the study area). Therefore, when studying the impact of sporadic events like an epidemic on emissions, it is necessary to account for the persistent reduction of emissions due to policy driven emission reduction measures. Using spaceborne sensors, ground monitors, National Emission Inventory data, and the US Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator, we quantified the reduction of total NOx emissions, distinguishing stationary sources from on-road mobile sources (trucks and automobiles). When considering total NOx emissions (stationary and mobile combined), we find that the pandemic restrictions resulted in 3.4% reduction of total NOx emissions in the study area in 2020. This is compared to (and in addition to) the expected 8.2% policy driven reduction of NOx emissions in 2020. This somewhat low reduction of emissions is because most stationary sources (factories, power plants, etc.) were operational during the pandemic. Truck traffic, a significant source of mobile emissions, also did not decline significantly (average 4.8% monthly truck traffic reduction in the study area between March and August 2020), as they were delivering goods during the lockdown. On the other hand, automobile traffic, responsible for 24% of total NOx emissions, dropped significantly, 52% in April, returning to near normal after 5 months. While the reduction of automobile traffic was significant, especially in the early months of the pandemic, its effect on emissions was relatively insignificant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shams Azad
- New York University, Tandon School of Engineering, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA.
| | - Masoud Ghandehari
- New York University, Tandon School of Engineering, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA.
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Zhang T, Xu X, Su Y. Long-term measurements of ground-level ozone in Windsor, Canada and surrounding areas. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 294:133636. [PMID: 35077734 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated temporal variability of ground-level ozone (O3) during smog season in Windsor, Canada and surrounding states of the US during 1996-2015. Cluster analysis classified six sites into two groups with similar features of O3 concentrations. The first group consists of four urban/suburban sites, Windsor, Allen Park and Lansing in Michigan, and Erie in Ohio, and the second group includes two rural sites, Delaware and National Trail School in Ohio. The similarities among all six sites include (1) diurnal and seasonal variability of O3 concentrations owing to similar weather conditions, and (2) decreasing peak O3 (95th percentile) concentrations due to reduced emissions of precursors, thus less photochemical O3 formation. However, how O3 levels changed with reduced NOX emissions during the study period and on weekends differed between the two groups. Lower O3 concentrations were recorded at urban/suburban sites (30 ppb) than at rural sites (34 ppb). At urban sites, annual smog season O3 concentrations increased by 0.12-3.2 ppb/year. The increasing trends occurred at all percentile levels except for 95th percentile and in most months, due to weakened NO titration effect. At the rural sites, smog-season O3 concentrations decreased by 0.01-2.71 ppb/year. The decreasing trends were observed at 50-95th percentile levels and in most months. Between the two groups, the urban/suburban group had a greater increment in weekend O3 concentrations (3.3 vs. 1.6 ppb) due to a greater reduction of local NO emissions on weekend, thus, weakened NO titration effect. Overall, O3 formation was more sensitive to VOCs during the study period; however, the O3 formation regime gradually shifted toward more sensitive to NOX during 1996-2007 then became more sensitive to VOCs during 2008-2015. Therefore, controlling anthropogenic VOC emissions is needed to effectively mitigate O3 pollution in the study region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianchu Zhang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xiaohong Xu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Yushan Su
- Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Sharma GK, Tewani A, Gargava P. Comprehensive analysis of ambient air quality during second lockdown in national capital territory of Delhi. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ADVANCES 2022; 6:100078. [PMID: 36919145 PMCID: PMC9427329 DOI: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The lockdown imposed in Delhi, due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant gains in air quality. Under the lockdown, restrictions were imposed on movement of people, operation of industrial establishments and hospitality sector amongst others. In the study, Air Quality Index and concentration trends of six pollutants, i.e. PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO, and O3 were analysed for National Capital Territory of Delhi, India for three periods in 2021 (pre-lockdown: 15 March to 16 April 2021, lockdown: 17 April to 31 May 2021 and post-lockdown: 01 June to 30 June). Data for corresponding periods in 2018-2020 was also analysed. Lockdown period saw 6 days in satisfactory AQI category as against 0 days in the same category during the pre-lockdown period. Average PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and SO2 concentrations reduced by 22%, 31%, 25% and 28% respectively during lockdown phase as compared to pre-lockdown phase, while O3 was seen to increase. Variation in meteorological parameters and correlation of pollutants has also been examined. The significant improvement arising due to curtailment of certain activities in the lockdown period indicates the importance of local emission control, and helps improve the understanding of the dynamics of air pollution, thus highlighting policy areas to regulatory bodies for effective control of air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gautam Kumar Sharma
- Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan, East Arjun Nagar, Delhi 110032, India
| | - Ankush Tewani
- Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan, East Arjun Nagar, Delhi 110032, India
| | - Prashant Gargava
- Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan, East Arjun Nagar, Delhi 110032, India
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Barupal T, Tak PK, Meena M, Vishwakarma PK, Swapnil P. The Impact of COVID-19 Strict Lockdown on the Air Quality of Smart Cities of Rajasthan, India. THE OPEN COVID JOURNAL 2022; 2. [DOI: 10.2174/26669587-v2-e2203030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Aim:
The main focus of this study is to evaluate the air quality by comparing the concentration of particulate matter PM2.5, PM10, NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone of smart cities of Rajasthan before the lockdown and during the period of lockdown.
Background:
In India, the first case of the COVID-19 was reported on January 30th, 2020. Indian government declared strict lockdown, i.e., public health emergency in India on March 24th, 2020, which is implemented from March 25th, 2020, to April 14th, 2020, for 21 days.
Objective:
The objective of this study is to evaluate the air quality by comparing the levels of all parameters of air pollution during the COVID-19 lockdown period with values registered in the pre-lockdown period.
Methods:
Data were obtained from four automatic monitoring stations under the control of the Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi (https://www.cpcb.nic.in/). Data regarding all the parameters were recorded as 24 hours average period.
Results:
CO levels showed the highest significant reduction in Udaipur (50.76%) followed by Jaipur (19.96%), Ajmer (17.11%), and Kota (5.51%) due to the ban on transport and driving. The levels of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 were also decreased substantially for each smart city. Ozone concentrations were recorded greater than before due to decreased nitrogen oxides levels.
Conclusion:
This study can be useful considering our present role in environmental restoration or environmental destruction. It will also be helpful in updating our present plan toward the assurance and conservation of nature.
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Ray RL, Singh VP, Singh SK, Acharya BS, He Y. What is the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on global carbon emissions? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 816:151503. [PMID: 34752864 PMCID: PMC8572037 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus 2019 (COVID 19, or SARS-CoV-2) pandemic that started in December 2019 has caused an unprecedented impact in most countries globally and continues to threaten human lives worldwide. The COVID-19 and strict lockdown measures have had adverse effects on human health and national economies. These lockdown measures have played a critical role in improving air quality, water quality, and the ozone layer and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Using Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Level 4 carbon (SMAP LC4) satellite products, this study investigated the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown measures on annual carbon emissions globally, focusing on 47 greatly affected countries and their 105 cities by December 2020. It is shown that while the lockdown measures significantly reduced carbon emissions globally, several countries and cities observed this reduction as temporary because strict lockdown measures were not imposed for extended periods in 2020. Overall, the total carbon emissions of select 184 countries reduced by 438 Mt in 2020 than in 2019. Since the global economic activities are slowly expected to return to the non-COVID-19 state, the reduction in carbon emissions during the pandemic will not be sustainable in the long run. For sustainability, concerned authorities have to put significant efforts to change transportation, climate, and environmental policies globally that fuel carbon emissions. Overall, the presented results provide directions to the stakeholders and policymakers to develop and implement measures to control carbon emissions for a sustainable environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ram L Ray
- College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX 77446, USA.
| | - Vijay P Singh
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Sudhir K Singh
- K. Banerjee Centre of Atmospheric & Ocean Studies, IIDS, Nehru Science Centre, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj 211002, India
| | - Bharat S Acharya
- Oklahoma Department of Mines, State of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK 73106, USA
| | - Yiping He
- EDF Renewable Energy, San Diego, CA 92128, USA
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38
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Shanableh A, Al-Ruzouq R, Hamad K, Gibril MBA, Khalil MA, Khalifa I, El Traboulsi Y, Pradhan B, Jena R, Alani S, Alhosani M, Stietiya MH, Al Bardan M, Al-Mansoori S. Effects of the COVID-19 lockdown and recovery on People's mobility and air quality in the United Arab Emirates using satellite and ground observations. REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS : SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT 2022; 26:100757. [PMID: 36281297 PMCID: PMC9581513 DOI: 10.1016/j.rsase.2022.100757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The stringent COVID-19 lockdown measures in 2020 significantly impacted people's mobility and air quality worldwide. This study presents an assessment of the impacts of the lockdown and the subsequent reopening on air quality and people's mobility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Google's community mobility reports and UAE's government lockdown measures were used to assess the changes in the mobility patterns. Time-series and statistical analyses of various air pollutants levels (NO2, O3, SO2, PM10, and aerosol optical depth-AOD) obtained from satellite images and ground monitoring stations were used to assess air quality. The levels of pollutants during the initial lockdown (March to June 2020) and the subsequent gradual reopening in 2020 and 2021 were compared with their average levels during 2015-2019. During the lockdown, people's mobility in the workplace, parks, shops and pharmacies, transit stations, and retail and recreation sectors decreased by about 34%-79%. However, the mobility in the residential sector increased by up to 29%. The satellite-based data indicated significant reductions in NO2 (up to 22%), SO2 (up to 17%), and AOD (up to 40%) with small changes in O3 (up to 5%) during the lockdown. Similarly, data from the ground monitoring stations showed significant reductions in NO2 (49% - 57%) and PM10 (19% - 64%); however, the SO2 and O3 levels showed inconsistent trends. The ground and satellite-based air quality levels were positively correlated for NO2, PM10, and AOD. The data also demonstrated significant correlations between the mobility and NO2 and AOD levels during the lockdown and recovery periods. The study documents the impacts of the lockdown on people's mobility and air quality and provides useful data and analyses for researchers, planners, and policymakers relevant to managing risk, mobility, and air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdallah Shanableh
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
- GIS & Remote Sensing Center, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Rami Al-Ruzouq
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
- GIS & Remote Sensing Center, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Khaled Hamad
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohamed Barakat A Gibril
- GIS & Remote Sensing Center, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohamad Ali Khalil
- GIS & Remote Sensing Center, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Inas Khalifa
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Yahya El Traboulsi
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Biswajeet Pradhan
- Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Earth Observation Center, Institute of Climate Change, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ratiranjan Jena
- GIS & Remote Sensing Center, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Sama Alani
- Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4L8
| | - Mohamad Alhosani
- Division of Consultancy, Research & Innovation (CRI), Sharjah Environment Company-Bee'ah, Sharjah, 20248, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohammed Hashem Stietiya
- Division of Consultancy, Research & Innovation (CRI), Sharjah Environment Company-Bee'ah, Sharjah, 20248, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mayyada Al Bardan
- Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, Sharjah, 135, United Arab Emirates
| | - Saeed Al-Mansoori
- Applications Development and Analysis Section (ADAS), Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Dubai, 211833, United Arab Emirates
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Zupančič N, Bozau E. Effect of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown to elemental composition of peat mosses. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:25473-25485. [PMID: 34843048 PMCID: PMC8628048 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17564-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sphagnum mosses are used for biomonitoring air pollution. In 2019, samples were taken from two peat bogs areas in Germany and two in Slovenia to determine differences in their levels of potentially toxic elements (PTE). The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) lockdown caused a global decrease in air pollution. Therefore, we repeated the monitoring in 2020 to see if this was also reflected in moss composition. Despite the variability within bogs and the areas, it is possible to distinguish the degree of air pollution between the two countries. In comparison to 2019, the German mosses have higher contents of almost all elements and the Slovenian are enriched in Cr and Hg in 2020. Comparison of the PTE contents, their ratios to Sc, and the enrichment factors show that the COVID-19 lockdown led to a decrease in long-range pollutants bound to finest particles and increased the influence of local soil dusting. The effect prevailed over lower precipitation in 2020 compared to 2019. Transport and industry continued to contribute significantly to contamination. Sphagnum mosses proved to be good indicators of the spatial and temporal extent of pollution. Even relatively short periods of lower air pollution are reflected in moss PTE contents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Zupančič
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Department of Geology, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Ivan Rakovec Institute of Palaeontology, ZRC SAZU, Novi trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Elke Bozau
- TU Clausthal, Institute of Disposal Research, Department of Hydrogeology, Leibnizstraße 10, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
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40
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Rajesh TA, Ramachandran S. Assessment of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic imposed lockdown and unlock effects on black carbon aerosol, its source apportionment, and aerosol radiative forcing over an urban city in India. ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH 2022; 267:105924. [PMID: 34803200 PMCID: PMC8594172 DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
A nationwide lockdown was imposed in India due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which significantly reduced the anthropogenic emissions. We examined the characteristics of equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentration and its source apportionment using a multiwavelength aethalometer over an urban site (Ahmedabad) in India during the pandemic induced lockdown period of year 2020. For the first time, we estimate the changes in BC, its contribution from fossil (eBC ff ) and wood (eBC wf ) fuels during lockdown (LD) and unlock (UL) periods in 2020 with respect to 2017 to 2019 (normal period). The eBC mass concentration continuously decreased throughout lockdown periods (LD1 to LD4) due to enforced and stringent restrictions which substantially reduced the anthropogenic emissions. The eBC mass concentration increased gradually during unlock phases (UL1 to UL7) due to the phase wise relaxations after lockdown. During lockdown period eBC mass concentration decreased by 35%, whereas during the unlock period eBC decreased by 30% as compared to normal period. The eBC wf concentrations were higher by 40% during lockdown period than normal period due to significant increase in the biomass burning emissions from the several community kitchens which were operational in the city during the lockdown period. The average contributions of eBC ff and eBC wf to total eBC mass concentrations were 70% and 30% respectively during lockdown (LD1 to LD4) period, whereas these values were 87% and 13% respectively during the normal period. The reductions in BC concentrations were commensurate with the reductions in emissions from transportation and industrial activities. The aerosol radiative forcing reduced significantly due to the reduction in anthropogenic emissions associated with COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown leading to a cooling of the atmosphere. The findings in the present study on eBC obtained during the unprecedented COVID-19 induced lockdown can provide a comprehensive understanding of the BC sources and current emission control strategies, and thus can serve as baseline anthropogenic emissions scenario for future emission control strategies aimed to improve air quality and climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- T A Rajesh
- Space and Atmospheric Sciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad 380009, India
| | - S Ramachandran
- Space and Atmospheric Sciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad 380009, India
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Ilyas SZ, Hassan A, Hussain SM, Jalil A, Baqir Y, Agathopoulos S, Ullah Z. COVID-19 persuaded lockdown impact on local environmental restoration in Pakistan. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:272. [PMID: 35275286 PMCID: PMC8914446 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-09916-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic adversely affected human beings. The novel coronavirus has claimed millions of lives all over the globe. Most countries around the world, including Pakistan, restricted people's social activities and ordered strict lockdowns throughout the country, to control the fatality of the novel coronavirus. The persuaded lockdown impact on the local environment was estimated. In the present study, we assessed air quality changes in four cities of Pakistan, namely Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, based on particulate matter (PM2.5), using "Temtop Airing 1000," which is capable of detecting and quantifying PM2.5. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was evaluated in three specific time spans: the COVID-19 pandemic pre- and post-lockdown period (January 1, 2020 to March 20, 2020, and May 16, 2020 to June 30, 2020 respectively), and the COVID-19 pandemic period (March 21 2020 to May 15, 2020). We compared land-monitored AQI levels for the above three periods of time. For validation, air quality was navigated by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) satellite during the first semester (January 1 to June 30) of 2019 and 2020. It is seen that the concentration of PM2.5 was considerably reduced in 2020 (more than 50%), ranging from ~ 0.05 to 0.3 kg⋅m3, compared to the same period in 2019. The results revealed that the AQI was considerably reduced during the lockdown period. This finding is a very promising as the inhabitants of the planet Earth can be guaranteed the possibility of a green environment in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Zafar Ilyas
- Department of Physics, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Ather Hassan
- Department of Physics, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
| | | | - Abdul Jalil
- Department of Physics, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Yadullah Baqir
- Department of Agriculture, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Simeon Agathopoulos
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, 451 10, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Zahid Ullah
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, H-8, Pakistan
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Lou B, Barbieri DM, Passavanti M, Hui C, Gupta A, Hoff I, Lessa DA, Sikka G, Chang K, Fang K, Lam L, Maharaj B, Ghasemi N, Qiao Y, Adomako S, Foroutan Mirhosseini A, Naik B, Banerjee A, Wang F, Tucker A, Liu Z, Wijayaratna K, Naseri S, Yu L, Chen H, Shu B, Goswami S, Peprah P, Hessami A, Abbas M, Agarwal N. Air pollution perception in ten countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. AMBIO 2022; 51:531-545. [PMID: 34155609 PMCID: PMC8216327 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01574-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
As largely documented in the literature, the stark restrictions enforced worldwide in 2020 to curb the COVID-19 pandemic also curtailed the production of air pollutants to some extent. This study investigates the perception of the air pollution as assessed by individuals located in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the USA. The perceptions towards air quality were evaluated by employing an online survey administered in May 2020. Participants (N = 9394) in the ten countries expressed their opinions according to a Likert-scale response. A reduction in pollutant concentration was clearly perceived, albeit to a different extent, by all populations. The survey participants located in India and Italy perceived the largest drop in the air pollution concentration; conversely, the smallest variation was perceived among Chinese and Norwegian respondents. Among all the demographic indicators considered, only gender proved to be statistically significant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baowen Lou
- School of Highway, Chang’an University, Nan Er Huan Road (Mid-section), Xi’an, 710064 Shaanxi China
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 7A, 7491 Trondheim, Trøndelag Norway
| | - Diego Maria Barbieri
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 7A, 7491 Trondheim, Trøndelag Norway
| | - Marco Passavanti
- Italian Society of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT-Italy), Mannelli St. 139, 50132 Firenze, Toscana Italy
| | - Cang Hui
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, 7602 South Africa
- Biodiversity Informatics Unit, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town, 7945 South Africa
| | - Akshay Gupta
- Department of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering Group, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, 321-A&B, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667 India
| | - Inge Hoff
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 7A, 7491 Trondheim, Trøndelag Norway
| | - Daniela Antunes Lessa
- Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Rua Nove, Bauxita, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais 35400-000 Brazil
| | - Gaurav Sikka
- Department of Geography, Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga, Bihar 846004 India
| | - Kevin Chang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Mailstop 1022, Moscow, ID 83844 USA
| | - Kevin Fang
- Department of Geography, Sonoma State University, Environment, and Planning, 1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928 USA
| | - Louisa Lam
- School of Health, Federation University Australia, 72-100 Clyde Rd, Berwick, VIC 3806 Australia
| | - Brij Maharaj
- Department of Geography, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College City, Durban, 4000 KwaZulu South Africa
| | - Navid Ghasemi
- Department of Civil Chemical Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento, 2, 40136 Bologna, Emilia-Romagna Italy
| | - Yaning Qiao
- School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Daxue Road 1, Xuzhou, 22116 Jiangsu China
| | - Solomon Adomako
- Department of Engineering and Science, University of Agder, Jon Lilletuns vei 9, 4879 Grimstad, Agder Norway
| | - Ali Foroutan Mirhosseini
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 7A, 7491 Trondheim, Trøndelag Norway
| | - Bhaven Naik
- Department of Civil Engineering/Russ College of Engineering & Technology, Ohio University, 28 W. Green Drive, Athens, OH 45701 USA
| | - Arunabha Banerjee
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam 781039 India
| | - Fusong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi road 122, Wuhan, 430070 Hubei China
| | - Andrew Tucker
- Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center, University of Connecticut, 270 Middle Turnpike, Unit 5202 Longley Building, Storrs, CT 06269 USA
| | - Zhuangzhuang Liu
- School of Highway, Chang’an University, Nan Er Huan Road (Mid-section), Xi’an, 710064 Shaanxi China
| | - Kasun Wijayaratna
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, 81, Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007 Australia
| | - Sahra Naseri
- School of Medicine, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, 76615-336 Kerman, Iran
| | - Lei Yu
- School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Xingang Xi Road 135, Guangzhou, 510275 Guangdong China
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 7A, 7491 Trondheim, Trøndelag Norway
| | - Benan Shu
- Foshan Transportation Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Kuiqi Second Road 18, Foshan, 528000 Guangdong China
| | - Shubham Goswami
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, C V Raman Avenue, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012 India
| | - Prince Peprah
- Department of Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, John Goodsell Building, Kensington, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Amir Hessami
- Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Texas A&M University – , Kingsville, 917 W. Ave B, Kingsville, TX 78363 USA
| | - Montasir Abbas
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 301-D3 Patton Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| | - Nithin Agarwal
- Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, University of Florida, 2100 NE Waldo Rd., Sta 106, Gainesville, FL 32609 USA
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Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Air Quality: A Systematic Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19041950. [PMID: 35206139 PMCID: PMC8871899 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19041950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, several governments imposed severe restrictions on socio-economic activities, putting most of the world population into a general lockdown in March 2020. Although scattered, studies on this topic worldwide have rapidly emerged in the literature. Hence, this systematic review aimed to identify and discuss the scientifically validated literature that evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions on air quality. Thus, a total of 114 studies that quantified the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air quality through monitoring were selected from three databases. The most evaluated countries were India and China; all the studies intended to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on air quality, mainly concerning PM10, PM2.5, NO2, O3, CO, and SO2. Most of them focused on the 1st lockdown, comparing with the pre- and post-lockdown periods and usually in urban areas. Many studies conducted a descriptive analysis, while others complemented it with more advanced statistical analysis. Although using different methodologies, some studies reported a temporary air quality improvement during the lockdown. More studies are still needed, comparing different lockdown and lifting periods and, in other areas, for a definition of better-targeted policies to reduce air pollution.
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Hwang H, Lee JY. Impacts of COVID-19 on Air Quality through Traffic Reduction. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19031718. [PMID: 35162738 PMCID: PMC8834776 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
In 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Korea, and social distancing was implemented to prevent its spread. This reduced the movement of people, and changes in air quality were expected owing to reduced emissions. In the present paper, the impact of traffic volume change caused by COVID-19 on air quality in Seoul, Korea, is examined. Two regression analyses were performed using the generalized additive model (GAM), assuming a Gaussian distribution; the relationships between (1) the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in 2020-2021 and the rate of change in the traffic volume in Seoul, and (2) the traffic volume and the rate of change in the air quality in Seoul from 2016 to 2019 were analyzed. The regression results show that traffic decreased by 0.00431% per COVID-19 case; when traffic fell by 1%, the PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, O3, and SO2 concentrations fell by 0.48%, 0.94%, 0.39%, 0.74%, 0.16%, and -0.01%, respectively. This mechanism accounts for air quality improvements in PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, and O3 in Seoul during 2020-2021. From these results, the majority of the reduction in pollutant concentrations in 2020-2021 appears to be the result of a long-term declining trend rather than COVID-19.
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Wang Y, Wu R, Liu L, Yuan Y, Liu C, Hang Ho SS, Ren H, Wang Q, Lv Y, Yan M, Cao J. Differential health and economic impacts from the COVID-19 lockdown between the developed and developing countries: Perspective on air pollution. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 293:118544. [PMID: 34801622 PMCID: PMC8601204 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
It is enlightening to determine the discrepancies and potential reasons for the degree of impact from the COVID-19 control measures on air quality as well as the associated health and economic impacts. Analysis of air quality, socio-economic factors, and meteorological data from 447 cities in 46 countries indicated that the COVID-19 control measures had significant impacts on the PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm) concentrations in 20 (reduced PM2.5 concentrations of -7.4-29.1 μg m-3) of the selected 46 countries. In these 20 countries, the robustly distinguished changes in the PM2.5 concentrations caused by the control measures differed between the developed (95% confidence interval (CI): -2.7-5.5 μg m-3) and developing countries (95% CI: 8.3-23.2 μg m-3). As a result, the COVID-19 lockdown reduced death and hospital admissions change from the decreased PM2.5 concentrations by 7909 and 82,025 cases in the 12 developing countries, and by 78 and 1214 cases in the eight developed countries. The COVID-19 lockdown reduced the economic cost from the PM2.5 related health burden by 54.0 million dollars in the 12 developing countries and by 8.3 million dollars in the eight developed countries. The disparity was related to the different chemical compositions of PM2.5. In particular, the concentrations of primary PM2.5 (e.g., BC) in cities of developing countries were 3-45 times higher than those in developed countries, so the mass concentration of PM2.5 was more sensitive to the reduced local emissions in developing countries during the COVID-19 control period. The mass fractions of secondary PM2.5 in developed countries were generally higher than those in developing countries. As a result, these countries were more sensitive to the secondary atmospheric processing that may have been enhanced due to reduced local emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichen Wang
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710129, China.
| | - Rui Wu
- School of Business, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Lang Liu
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710129, China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710129, China
| | - ChenGuang Liu
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710129, China
| | - Steven Sai Hang Ho
- Division of Atmosphere Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
| | - Honghao Ren
- School of Management Science and Engineering, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Qiyuan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aerosol Chemistry and Physics, State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Yang Lv
- School of Government Administration, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Mengyuan Yan
- Key Laboratory of Aerosol Chemistry and Physics, State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Junji Cao
- Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China
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Air Quality of Work, Residential, and Traffic Areas during the COVID-19 Lockdown with Insights to Improve Air Quality. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19020727. [PMID: 35055549 PMCID: PMC8775798 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19020727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the concentrations of air pollutants (NO, NO2, NOx, SO2, CO, O3, PM10, and PM2.5) at three sites with different traffic loads (work, residential, and traffic sites) before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects and associated potential pollution control implications of the lockdown on the quality of ambient air at three selected sites in the urban area of Riyadh City. The average concentrations of NO, NO2, NOx, and CO decreased during the lockdown period by 73%, 44%, 53%, and 32% at the work site; 222%, 85%, 100%, and 60% at the residential site; and 133%, 60%, 101%, and 103% at the traffic site relative to the pre-lockdown period, respectively. The average concentration of O3 increased by 6% at the work site, whereas the concentration of SO2 increased by 27% at the residential site and decreased by 6.5% at the work site. The changes in PM10 and PM2.5 varied and did not exhibit a clear pattern. The air quality index (AQI) results indicated that the contribution to "undesired" air quality by O3 was 35.29% of the lockdown period at the work site while contributions to undesired air quality by PM10 and PM2.5 were 75.6% and 100% at the work site, 94.5% and 100% at the residential site, and 96.7% and 100% at the traffic site, respectively. The findings of this study are useful for devising effective urban pollution abatement policies. Applying control measures comparable to the lockdown measures over one week will result in a decrease of approximately 19% and 15% in CO mean concentration and 25% and 18% in NO2 mean concentration at residential and traffic sites, respectively.
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Air quality during COVID-19 lockdown and its implication toward sustainable development goals. COVID-19 AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS 2022. [PMCID: PMC9335066 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-91307-2.00008-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Air pollution is directly as well as indirectly linked with several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hence, focused efforts and strategies toward improving the air quality can lead to direct reduction in the adverse impacts on human health and our cities and setting climate mitigation targets. The worldwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has forced various governments around the world to suspend nonessential activities due to the unavailability of the vaccine. This unprecedented lockdown led to significant decline in major criteria air pollutants—PM2.5, PM10, CO, and NO2—with more than 50% decline in several cities across the world. However, SO2 did not change much over some regions, while O3 has shown some increase. The majority of these changes are well supported by the reduced pollutant emissions, primarily from vehicular sources in urban areas. A slight decline has also been observed in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the lockdowns. The lockdown illustrates the need for a potential shift of anthropogenic activities toward a more sustainable lifestyle for ameliorating air quality and thus paving the pathway to achieve SDGs. The COVID-19-induced lockdown scenario should be exploited to understand future measures to improve air quality and mitigate the adverse health and climate effects. This chapter explores the impact of the national lockdowns on urban air quality across the globe. Learnings from this natural intervention and future policy implications toward improving air quality are further discussed.
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Ojha N, Soni M, Kumar M, Gunthe SS, Chen Y, Ansari TU. Mechanisms and Pathways for Coordinated Control of Fine Particulate Matter and Ozone. CURRENT POLLUTION REPORTS 2022; 8:594-604. [PMID: 35991936 PMCID: PMC9376561 DOI: 10.1007/s40726-022-00229-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone (O3) pose a significant risk to human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently revised healthy thresholds for both pollutants. The formation and evolution of PM2.5 and O3 are however governed by complex physical and multiphase chemical processes, and therefore, it is extremely challenging to mitigate both pollutants simultaneously. Here, we review mechanisms and discuss the science-informed pathways for effective and simultaneous mitigation of PM2.5 and O3. RECENT FINDINGS Global warming has led to a general increase in biogenic emissions, which can enhance the formation of O3 and secondary organic aerosols. Reductions in anthropogenic emissions during the COVID-19 lockdown reduced PM2.5; however, O3 was enhanced in several polluted regions. This was attributed to more intense sunlight due to low aerosol loading and non-linear response of O3 to NO x . Such contrasting physical and chemical interactions hinder the formulation of a clear roadmap for clean air over such regions. SUMMARY Atmospheric chemistry including the role of biogenic emissions, aerosol-radiation interactions, boundary layer, and regional-scale transport are the key aspects that need to be carefully considered in the formulation of mitigation pathways. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the chemical effects of the emission reductions, changes in photolytic rates and boundary layer due to perturbation of solar radiation, and the effect of meteorological/seasonal changes are needed on a regional basis. Statistical emulators and machine learning approaches can aid the cumbersome process of multi-sector multi-species source attribution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meghna Soni
- Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
- Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Manish Kumar
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sachin S. Gunthe
- EWRE Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India
| | - Ying Chen
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland
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Jeong CH, Yousif M, Evans GJ. Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the chemical composition and sources of urban PM 2.5. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 292:118417. [PMID: 34743966 PMCID: PMC8747944 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The lockdown measures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic substantially affected air quality in many cities through reduced emissions from a variety of sources, including traffic. The change in PM2.5 and its chemical composition in downtown Toronto, Canada, including organic/inorganic composition and trace metals, were examined by comparing with a pre-lockdown period and respective periods in the three previous years. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the average traffic volume reduced by 58%, whereas PM2.5 only decreased by 4% relative to the baselines. Major chemical components of PM2.5, such as organic aerosol and ammonium nitrate, showed significant seasonal changes between pre- and lockdown periods. The changes in local and regional PM2.5 sources were assessed using hourly chemical composition measurements of PM2.5. Major regional and secondary PM2.5 sources exhibited no clear reductions during the lockdown period compared to pre-lockdown and the previous years. However, cooking emissions substantially dropped by approximately 61% due to the restrictions imposed on local businesses (i.e., restaurants) during the lockdown, and then gradually increased throughout the recovery periods. The reduction in non-tailpipe emissions, characterized by road dust and brake/tire dust, ranged from 37% to 61%, consistent with the changes in traffic volume and meteorology across seasons in 2020. Tailpipe emissions dropped by approximately 54% and exhibited even larger reductions during morning rush hours. The reduction of tailpipe emissions was statistically associated with the reduced number of trucks, highlighting that a small fraction of trucks contributes disproportionally to tailpipe emissions. This study provides insight into the potential for local benefits to arise from traffic intervention in traffic-dominated urban areas and supports the development of targeted strategies and regulations to effectively reduce local air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheol-Heon Jeong
- Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Meguel Yousif
- Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Greg J Evans
- Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the particulate matter over Perungudi, Chennai, India. MATERIALS TODAY: PROCEEDINGS 2022; 55:280-286. [PMID: 36284924 PMCID: PMC9585186 DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2021.07.296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The nationwide lockdown of Phase-1 in India was started from March 25 to April 14, 2020 and Phase-2 from April 15 to May 3, 2020 with severe restrictions on public activities in India. Utilizing the particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5 data recorded during this adverse time, the present study is undertaken to assess the impact of phase 1 and 2 lockdown on the air quality of Perungudi, Chennai, India. The data obtained from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board was assessed for lockdown phase. We compared particulate matter data for the unlock phase with a coinciding period in March 2020 to determine the changes in pollutant concentrations during the lockdown period of April 2020. The descriptive analysis of PM continuous data was performed to determine the mean, standard deviation, variance, skew and kurtosis to identify the nature of data. Correlogram analysis gives the information that the data under study has non-stationary behaviour and not random. Along with this linear regression analysis were performed to determine the relationship and trend for the data. The results revealed decreasing trend in the concentrations (PM10, PM2.5).
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