The effect of measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic on air pollution: A East Mediterranean example from Turkey
Abstract
Objective: Air pollution is both an environmental and a social problem, as it leads to a multitude of adverse effects on human health, ecosystems, the built environment and the climate. Air pollutants are emitted from anthropogenic and natural sources. This study aimed to examine the effects of the measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic on air pollution in the province of Adana in Turkey. Methods: The data related to the measurements of air pollution parameters were obtained from the Mediterranean Station of the National Air Quality Monitoring Network provided by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. The parameters were recorded on a daily basis between March 1st and May 1st in 2019 and 2020. The effects of measures that limited human movements like curfews, travel bans, etc. due to the COVID-19 pandemic on air pollution parameters were examined. Results: A significant decrease was found in the parameters of SO2, CO, NOx, NO, NO2 and O3, except PM10, in 2020 when compared to 2019. The measures taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic were observed to result in a decrease of 0.35% in PM10, 23.6% in SO2, 84% in CO, 46.5% in NOx, 34.5% in NO, 63.1% in NO2 and 68.4% in O3 concentrations. It was found that a significant part of the emissions that caused air pollution had originated from human activities. Conclusion: It was observed that the measures that reduced human movements had a significant effect on air pollution.
Keywords
Air pollution, COVID-19, Air pollution, particulate matter, COVID-19, pandemics, carbon monoxide
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