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

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1759-1774
Author(s):  
Maria-Elissavet Koukouli ◽  
Ioanna Skoulidou ◽  
Andreas Karavias ◽  
Isaak Parcharidis ◽  
Dimitris Balis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Chemical Transport ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽  
Transport Modelling ◽  
Monitoring Instrument

Abstract. The unprecedented order, in modern peaceful times, for a near-total lockdown of the Greek population as a means of protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, commonly known as COVID-19, has generated unintentional positive side-effects with respect to the country's air quality levels. Sentinel-5 Precursor/Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (S5P/TROPOMI) monthly mean tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) observations show an average change of −34 % to +20 % and −39 % to −5 % with an average decrease of −15 % and −11 % for March and April 2020 respectively, compared with the previous year, over the six larger Greek metropolitan areas; this is mostly attributable to vehicular emission reductions. For the capital city of Athens, weekly analysis was statistically possible for the S5P/TROPOMI observations and revealed a marked decline in the NO2 load of between −8 % and −43 % for 7 of the 8 weeks studied; this is in agreement with the equivalent Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)/Aura observations as well as the ground-based estimates of a multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy ground-based instrument. Chemical transport modelling of the NO2 columns, provided by the Long Term Ozone Simulation European Operational Smog (LOTOS-EUROS) chemical transport model, 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 ∼ −25 % and −65 % for 5 of the 8 weeks studied, with the remaining 3 weeks showing a positive average of ∼ 10 %; this positive average was postulated to be due to the uncertainty of the methodology, which is based on differences. As a result this analysis, we conclude that the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown and the restriction of transport emissions over Greece is ∼ −10 %. As transport is the second largest sector (after industry) affecting Greece's air quality, this occasion may well help policymakers to enforce more targeted measures to aid Greece in further reducing emissions according to international air quality standards.

scholarly journals Can the establishment of National Key Ecological Functional Zones improve air quality?: An empirical study from China

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246257
Author(s):  
Guangqin Li ◽  
Lingyu Li ◽  
Xing Li ◽  
Yu Chen
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Utilization Efficiency ◽  
County Level ◽  
Economic Data ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
Functional Zones ◽  
The Difference

Drawing on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from satellite raster data and matching with the county-level socio-economic data from 2008 to 2015 in China, this paper investigates the impacts of the establishment of National Key Ecological Functional Zones (NKEFZ) on environmental quality by employing the difference-in-differences method, which was stablished in June 2011. The results indicate that the establishment of the NKEFZ significantly decreased the concentration values of PM2.5, a drop of about 20% during the study period, after the paper controls for other factors affecting air quality. The robustness tests using the maximum and medium concentration values of PM2.5 show similar results. Through further analysis, the paper finds that the establishment of NKEFZ can improve the ecological utilization efficiency of land.

scholarly journals The effects of “Fangcang, Huoshenshan, and Leishenshan” hospitals and environmental factors on the mortality of COVID-19

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9578
Author(s):  
Yuwen Cai ◽  
Tianlun Huang ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
Gaosi Xu
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Test Statistic ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Student’S T ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Student’S T Test

Background In December 2019, a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan, China; however, the factors affecting the mortality of COVID-19 remain unclear. Methods Thirty-two days of data (the growth rate/mortality of COVID-19 cases) that were shared by Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Weather Net were collected by two authors independently. Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney U test was used to test the difference in the mortality of confirmed/severe cases before and after the use of “Fangcang, Huoshenshan, and Leishenshan” makeshift hospitals (MSHs). We also studied whether the above outcomes of COVID-19 cases were related to air temperature (AT), relative humidity (RH), or air quality index (AQI) by performing Pearson’s analysis or Spearman’s analysis. Results Eight days after the use of MSHs, the mortality of confirmed cases was significantly decreased both in Wuhan (t = 4.5, P < 0.001) and Hubei (U = 0, P < 0.001), (t and U are the test statistic used to test the significance of the difference). In contrast, the mortality of confirmed cases remained unchanged in non-Hubei regions (U = 76, P = 0.106). While on day 12 and day 16 after the use of MSHs, the reduce in mortality was still significant both in Wuhan and Hubei; but in non-Hubei regions, the reduce also became significant this time (U = 123, P = 0.036; U = 171, P = 0.015, respectively). Mortality of confirmed cases was found to be negatively correlated with AT both in Wuhan (r =  − 0.441, P = 0.012) and Hubei (r =  − 0.440, P = 0.012). Also, both the growth rate and the mortality of COVID-19 cases were found to be significantly correlated with AQI in Wuhan and Hubei. However, no significant correlation between RH and the growth rate/mortality of COVID-19 cases was found in our study. Conclusions Our findings indicated that both the use of MSHs, the rise of AT, and the improvement of air quality were beneficial to the survival of COVID-19 patients.

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

The Use of Multimedia and its Impact on Bangladeshi EFL Learners at Tertiary Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Farzana Sharmin Pamela Islam
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

As 21st century is the era of modern technologies with different aspects, it offers us to make the best use of them. After tape recorder and overhead projector (OHP), multimedia has become an important part of language classroom facilities for its unique and effective application in delivering and learning lesson. Although in many parts of Bangladesh, a South Asian developing country, where English enjoys the status of a foreign language, the use of multimedia in teaching and learning is viewed as a matter of luxury. However, nowadays the usefulness and the necessity of it are well recognized by the academics as well as the government. The study aims to focus on the difference between a traditional classroom void of multimedia and multimedia equipped classrooms at university level by explaining how multimedia support the students with enhanced opportunity to interact with diverse texts that give them more in-depth comprehension of the subject. It also focuses on audio-visual advantage of multimedia on the students’ English language learning. The study has followed a qualitative method to get an in-depth understanding of the impact of using multimedia in an English language classroom at tertiary level. For this purpose, the data have been collected from two different sources. Firstly, from students’ written response to  an open ended question as to their comparative experience of learning  lessons with and without multimedia facilities; and secondly, through  observation of English language classes at a private university of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The discussion of the study is limited to  the use of multimedia in English language classroom using cartoons, images and music with a view to enhance students’ skills in academic writing, critical analysis of image and critical appreciation of music. For this purpose, cartoons in English language, images from Google and music from You Tube have got focused discussion in this paper.

Comparison of two air sampling methods to monitor operating room air quality and assessment of air quality in two operating rooms with different ventilation systems in the national hospital of Sri Lanka

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tshokey Tshokey ◽  
Pranitha Somaratne ◽  
Suneth Agampodi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Operating Room ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Surgical Site Infections ◽  
National Hospital ◽  
Air Contamination ◽  
Acceptable Method ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Laminar Air Flow

Air contamination in the operating room (OR) is an important contributor for surgical site infections. Air quality should be assessed during microbiological commissioning of new ORs and as required thereafter. Despite many modern methods of sampling air, developing countries mostly depended on conventional methods. This was studied in two ORs of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) with different ventilation system; a conventional ventilation (CV) and a laminar air flow (LAF). Both ORs were sampled simultaneously by two different methods, the settle plate and sampler when empty and during use for a defined time period. Laboratory work was done in the Medical Research Institute. The two methods of sampling showed moderate but highly significant correlation. The OR with CV was significantly more contaminated than LAF when empty as well as during use by both methods. Overall, the difference in contamination was more significant when sampled by the sampler. Differences in contamination in empty and in-use ORs were significant in both ORs, but significance is less in LAF rooms. The consistent and significant correlation between settle plate and sampler showed that the settle plate is an acceptable method. The LAF theatre showed less contamination while empty and during use as expected. Air contamination differences were more significant when sampled with sampler indicating that it is a more sensitive method. Both CV and LAF ORs of the NHSL did not meet the contamination standards for empty theatres but met the standards for in-use indicating that the theatre etiquette was acceptable.

A quantitative evaluation of some factors affecting the non-fatty solids of cow's milk

1960 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Alexander ◽  
F. B. Leech
Keyword(s):  
Cell Count ◽  
Residual Effect ◽  
Clinical Mastitis ◽  
High Cell ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Stage Of Lactation ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Satisfactory Analysis ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Image Position

SummaryTen farms in the county of Durham took part in a field study of the effects of feeding and of udder disease on the level of non-fatty solids (s.n.f.) in milk. Statistical analysis of the resulting data showed that age, pregnancy, season of the year, and total cell count affected the percentage of s.n.f. and that these effects were additive and independent of each other. No effect associated with nutritional changes could be demonstrated.The principal effects of the factors, each one freed from effects of other factors, were as follows:Herds in which s.n.f. had been consistently low over a period of years were compared with herds in which s.n.f. had been satisfactory. Analysis of the data showed that about 70% of the difference in s.n.f. between these groups could be accounted for by differences in age of cow, stage of lactation, cell count and breed.There was some evidence of a residual effect following clinical mastitis that could not be accounted for by residual high cell counts.The within-cow regression of s.n.f. on log cell count calculated from the Durham data and from van Rensburg's data was on both occasions negative.The implications of these findings are discussed, particularly in relation to advisory work.

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