Footprints of COVID-19 on Pollution in Southern Spain

Background: Many annual deaths in Spain could be avoided if pollution levels were reduced. Every year, several municipalities in the Community of Andalusia, located in southern Spain, exceed the acceptable levels of atmospheric pollution. In this sense, the evolution of primary air pollutants during...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmosphere 2022-11, Vol.13 (11), p.1928
Main Authors: Wirth, Eszter, Betancourt-Odio, Manuel Alejandro, Cabeza-García, Macarena, Zapatero-González, Ana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air
Air pollution
Air quality
Atmospheric particulates
Climatology
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
High temperature
Industrial areas
lockdown
Medical research
Metropolitan areas
Municipalities
Nitrogen dioxide
NO2
Outdoor air quality
Pandemics
Particulate matter
PM10
Pollutants
pollution
Pollution levels
Regression models
Rural areas
Saharan dust
Spatial analysis
Temperature regions
Urban areas
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: Many annual deaths in Spain could be avoided if pollution levels were reduced. Every year, several municipalities in the Community of Andalusia, located in southern Spain, exceed the acceptable levels of atmospheric pollution. In this sense, the evolution of primary air pollutants during the March–June 2020 lockdown can be taken as reliable evidence to analyze the effectiveness of potential air quality regulations. Data and Method: Using a multivariate linear regression model, this paper assesses the levels of NO2, O3, and PM10 in Andalusia within the 2017–2020 period, relating these representative indices of air quality with lockdown stages during the pandemic and considering control variables such as climatology, weekends, or the intrusion of Saharan dust. To reveal patterns at a local level between geographic zones, a spatial analysis was performed. Results: The results show that the COVID-19 lockdown had a heterogeneous effect on the analyzed pollutants within Andalusia’s geographical regions. In general terms, NO2 and PM10 concentrations decreased in the main metropolitan areas and the industrial districts of Huelva and the Strait of Gibraltar. At the same time, O3 levels rose in high-temperature regions of Cordoba and Malaga.
ISSN:2073-4433
2073-4433
DOI:10.3390/atmos13111928