Exploring the Interruption-Recovery Pattern of Air Pollutants During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Southern Brazil: An Analysis of the New Normal

This study investigated the interruption-recovery pattern of air pollutants (O 3 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Brazil using machine learning models. The results showed that 2020 was an atypical year for air pollution levels due to restriction measures. Howev...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:MĀPAN : journal of Metrology Society of India 2024-06, Vol.39 (2), p.211-220
Main Authors: Tavella, Ronan Adler, da Silva Júnior, Flavio Manoel Rodrigues
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air pollution
Air quality
Airborne particulates
COVID-19
Machine learning
Mathematical and Computational Physics
Mathematical Methods in Physics
Measurement Science and Instrumentation
Numerical and Computational Physics
Original Paper
Outdoor air quality
Pandemics
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Pollutants
Pollution levels
Recovery
Simulation
Theoretical
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:This study investigated the interruption-recovery pattern of air pollutants (O 3 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Brazil using machine learning models. The results showed that 2020 was an atypical year for air pollution levels due to restriction measures. However, we also found that 2021 was not a definitive year for the assessed air pollutants in the region but rather a transitional year. It was only in 2022 that the pollutant levels returned to usual levels in the region. In this sense, our findings suggest that the levels observed in 2022 can be considered the "new normal" for air pollutants in the region. Furthermore, we found that O 3 levels decreased significantly and were sustained and further decreased in 2022, while PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels showed a reversed but similar trend with a slight increase in concentrations from 2020 to 2021 and again from 2021 to 2022. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the impacts of COVID-19 on air pollution levels and highlights the need for continued efforts to improve air quality in the region.
ISSN:0970-3950
0974-9853
DOI:10.1007/s12647-023-00681-7