scholarly journals What is the relationship between the coronavirus crisis and air pollution in Tunisia?

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nihel Chekir ◽  
Yassine Ben Salem
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Sulfur Dioxide ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
Industrial Activity ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations

Abstract Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated horror and panic around the world. Nevertheless, this terrible crisis is having a positive side effect: it is lowering pollution levels. The outbreak of the coronavirus has caused many governments to impose measures to slow the spread of the virus within populations, such as limiting population displacement, requesting social distancing and the isolation of individuals at home, and reducing industrial activity. In this work, we investigated the effects of governmental measures taken to limit the spread of COVID-19 on the concentrations of air pollutants over four Tunisian cities (Tunis, Sousse, Sfax, and Tataouine). Data on the average daily levels of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter during January, February, March, and April of 2020 were collected, treated, and analyzed for each city. Curves of average monthly pollutant concentrations from 1 January to 30 April for each city investigated showed that measures taken to reduce the spread of the virus had a substantial impact on emission levels: there were tremendous drops of 51% in NO2 and 52% in SO2 over Sfax City during March compared to those during January, while nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide levels dropped by about 38% and 42%, respectively, over Tunis City and by around 20% for Sousse. During the four months investigated, almost all of the pollutant concentrations showed a significant drop from mid-March. On 12 March, the Tunisian government imposed some individual and collective measures to protect the population from the virus, such as social distancing, limiting transportation, shutting down schools and universities, and reducing industrial activity. A general lockdown was brought in later. Thus, restricting human and industrial activities appeared to affect the air quality in Tunisia, leading to a marked improvement in the air quality index. Graphic abstract

scholarly journals Measurement Report: A Multi-Year Study on the Impacts of Chinese New Year Celebrations on Air Quality in Beijing, China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Foreback ◽  
Lubna Dada ◽  
Kaspar Dällenbach ◽  
Chao Yan ◽  
Lili Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Sulfur Dioxide ◽  
Sulfuric Acid Concentration ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Air Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Spectrometer Data

Abstract. We investigated the influence of the Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrations on local air quality in Beijing from 2013 through 2019, bringing together comprehensive observations at the newly-constructed Aerosol and Haze Laboratory at Beijing University of Chemical Technology – West Campus (BUCT-AHL) and data from Chinese government air quality measurement stations. In this study, these datasets are used together to provide a detailed analysis of air quality during the CNY over multiple years. Before CNY in 2018, the city of Beijing prohibited the use of fireworks and firecrackers in an effort to reduce air pollution. In 2018 air pollutant concentrations still showed a significant peak during the CNY night, even though not as strong as in previous years, but in 2019, the pollution levels were notably lower. During the studied 7-year study period, it appears that there has been a long-term decrease in CNY related emissions since 2016. Based on our analysis, the pollutants with the most notable spike during CNY were sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, including black carbon. Sulfuric acid concentration followed the sulfur dioxide concentration and showed elevated overnight concentration in CNY 2018, but not notably in 2019. Additionally, spectrometer data and analysis of aerosol particle number size distribution shows direct emissions of particles with diameters around 20 nm during CNY in 2018 and 2019. Meteorological conditions were comparable between the latest two years, indicating that air quality associated with the CNY may be improving, perhaps a positive effect of the restrictions. The longer observations in the future will provide confirmation for these trends.

scholarly journals Long-Term Trends of Air Pollution at National Atmospheric Observatory Košetice (ACTRIS, EMEP, GAW)

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 537
Author(s):  
Milan Váňa ◽  
Adéla Holubová Smejkalová ◽  
Jaroslava Svobodová ◽  
Pavel Machálek
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Kendall Test ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
International Projects ◽  
Long Term Trends

The National Atmospheric Observatory Košetice operated by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute was established in 1988 as a station specializing in air quality monitoring at the background scale. The observatory is located in the free area outside of the settlement and represents the Czech Republic in various international projects. The objective of the present study is to detect the long-term trends of air quality at the background scale of the Czech Republic. The statistical method used for trend analysis is based on the nonparametric Mann–Kendall test. Generally, the results show that the fundamental drop in emission of basic air pollutants was reflected in the significant decrease in pollution levels. A most significant drop was detected for sulphur. No trend was found for NO2 in 1990–2012, but a visibly decreasing tendency was registered in the last 7 years. A slightly decreasing trend was registered for O3 in the whole period, but a slightly increasing tendency was found after 2006. More importantly, the number of episodes exceeding the target value for human health dropped significantly. The reduction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions was reflected in a statistically significant decrease of concentrations. Only isoprene, which is of natural origin, displays an inverse trend. Concentrations of elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) dropped since 2010, but only for EC is the trend statistically significant.

scholarly journals A Study of Indoor Air Quality in Refurbished Museum Building

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 2596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syahrun Neizam Mohd Dzullkiflli ◽  
Abd Halid Abdullah ◽  
Lee Yee Yong ◽  
Abdul Mutalib Leman ◽  
Samiullah Sohu
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Sulfur Dioxide ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Fine Particles ◽  
Gaseous Pollutant ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
New Buildings

Problem related with indoor air quality (IAQ), is rapidly becoming a major health issue as people spend almost 90% of their time indoors. Museums were established in Malaysia more than hundred years ago. Since the year 2005, Malaysia has been moving away from constructing new buildings in favour of refurbishing historic and old ones. A healthy environment at the museum building has been identified as one of the important element that must been considered, but it is not sure either IAQ in the museum building provide a good air quality or not. The purpose of this study is to determine the actual indoor environment of the museum building in Melaka. In this study, the IAQ measurement were conduct for six days at the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum and at the History and Ethnography Museum. During the measurement, IAQ parameters of gaseous pollutant of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, and particulate matter of fine particles were recorded by using specific IAQ equipment. The finding of this study indicates that the distance of buildings from roadways appears to have an impact on indoor environmental levels, especially for nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter. Based on the results, only gaseous pollutant of sulfur dioxide had not exceeding the acceptable TLV compared to the other IAQ pollutants.

scholarly journals 90 Days of COVID-19 Social Distancing and Its Impacts on Air Quality and Health in Sao Paulo, Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Debone ◽  
Mariana V. da Costa ◽  
Simone G. E. K. Miraglia
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Risk Function ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Air Quality Improvement

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a unique situation for humanity, reaching up to 5623 deaths in Sao Paulo city during the analyzed period of this study. Due to the measures for social distancing, an improvement of air quality was observed worldwide. In view of this scenario, we investigated the air quality improvement related to PM10, PM2.5, and NO2 concentrations during 90 days of quarantine compared to an equivalent period in 2019. We found a significant drop in air pollution of 45% of PM10, 46% of PM2.5, and 58% of NO2, and using a relative-risk function, we estimated that this significant air quality improvement avoided, respectively, 78, 337, and 387 premature deaths, respectively, and prevented approximately US $720 million on health costs. Moreover, we estimated that 5623 deaths by COVID-19 represent an economic health loss of US $10.5 billion. Both health and economic gains associated with air pollution reductions give a positive perspective of the efforts towards keeping air pollution reduced even after the pandemic, highlighting the importance of improving the strategies of air pollution mitigation actions, as well as the crucial role of adopting efficient measures to protect human health both during and after the COVID-19 global health crisis.

scholarly journals Pre-During-Post Lockdown Air Quality in Adyar, Chennai, India Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 110-117
Author(s):  
Monikandon Sukumaran ◽  
Kesavan Devarayan ◽  
Ramar Marimuthu ◽  
Sabariswaran Kandasamy
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Sulphur Dioxide ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Pollution Source ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Pm 2.5 ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The People ◽  
Temporary Control

The COVID-19 pandemic has shoved most of the countries to implement restrictions for transportation and all other social activities to minimize spread of disease to the people. India is the second most populated country in the world which has implemented a historical complete lockdown throughout the country from the last week of March to April 2020 with an extension up to the first week of May 2020. This lockdown has slowed down the pollution levels in most of the cities in India within the first few weeks of the lockdown. In this view, the present study discusses the air quality scenario of Chennai, one of the megacities of India, scientifically. With the aid of air quality data of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, India, for five parameters such as PM 2.5 and P.M 10, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and air quality index, the authors correlated the pre-during-post lockdown air quality of Adyar, Chennai. The results indicated that the concentrations of particulate matter reduced to about 50 � 80 % during the lockdown compared to pre-lockdown. The concentrations of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide were decreased to 50% and 20%, respectively, within the first week of lockdown. Further the data were compared with the pollution data for the past two years (2018 and 2019). The present study gives insight on the reduction of pollution in proportion to the temporary control of pollution source at particular interval could rejuvenate the environment.

scholarly journals Sudden changes in nitrogen dioxide emissions over Greece due to lockdown after the outbreak of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria-Elissavet Koukouli ◽  
Ioanna Skoulidou ◽  
Andreas Karavias ◽  
Isaak Parcharidis ◽  
Dimitris Balis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Transport Modelling ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Average Decrease ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
Equivalent Time ◽  
The Difference

Abstract. The unprecedented order, in modern peaceful times, for near-total lockdown of the Greek population, as means of protection against the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus-2, commonly known as COVID-19, infection, has brought unintentional positive side-effects to the country's air quality levels. S5P/TROPOMI monthly mean tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) observations show an average decrease of −3 % to −26 % [−1 % to −27 %] with an average of −22 % [−11 %] for March and April 2020 respectively, compared to the previous year, over the six larger Greek metropolitan areas, attributable mostly to vehicular emission reductions. Furthermore, significant effects for shipping emissions over the Aegean Sea as well as the areas surrounding major Greek ports were observed, of approximately −12 % [−5 %]. For the capital city of Athens, weekly analysis was possible and it revealed a marked decline in NO2 load between −8 % and −43 % for seven of the eight weeks studied. Chemical transport modelling, provided by the LOTOS-EUROS CTM, shows that the magnitude of these reductions cannot solely be attributed to the difference in meteorological factors affecting NO2 levels during March and April 2020 and the equivalent time periods of the previous year. Taking this factor into account, the resulting decline was estimated to range between 0 % and −37 % for the five largest cities, with an average of ~ −10 %. As transport is the second largest sector that affects Greece's air quality, this occasion may well help policy makers in enforcing more targeted measures to aid Greece in further reducing emissions according to international air quality standards.

scholarly journals Haze-day Trends from 2013 to 2020 and Analysis of Spatiotemporal Characteristics of a Haze Process in Ningbo, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 2112 (1) ◽  
pp. 012009
Author(s):  
Lijun Hu ◽  
Aizhen Gao ◽  
Hao Yang ◽  
Zheng Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Temperature Drop ◽  
Spherical Particles ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The North ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Haze Days

Abstract Air quality in Ningbo continues to improve with a constant decrease in the PM2.5 concentration. However, pollution levels occasionally increase during autumn and winter. To understand the regional and seasonal distributions and the interannual variation during haze days, we analyzed the haze monitoring data from 2013 to 2020 and the haze weather process during January 18–19, 2016. Our results showed a downward trend in the major pollutant concentrations. High PM2.5 concentrations persist in certain areas of Ningbo during winter owing to seasonal haze conditions. However, the annual number of haze days has decreased between 2013 and 2020. Regional variations in pollutant concentrations appear mainly in winter, especially in December and January. The observed concentrations were higher in the north and west, and lower in the south and east. The haze process during January 18–19, 2016, occurred within a height of 0–1.5 km, with high PM2.5 concentrations mainly occurring as small and spherical particles. A higher relative humidity, temperature drop, and stable weather assist in accumulating and sinking pollutants, which cause long-term effects and render diffusion difficult. Although recent national initiatives have been effective, the air quality in northern Ningbo requires further improvement during autumn and winter.

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