Iranica Journal of Energy & Environment

Current Issue

By Issue

By Author

By Subject

Author Index

Keyword Index

About Journal

Aims and Scope

Editorial Board

Editorial Staff

Best Academic Tools

Specialized Indexing Databases

Related Links

FAQ

News

Publication Ethics

Predatory and Misleading Metrics

Paper Preparation Guide

Paper Template

Journal Forms

Word Count Policy

Editors

Web of Science Profile

Reviewers

Reviewers Responsibilities

Peer Review Process

Web of Science Profile

Be as Top Peer Reviewer & Editor

Assessment of Air Pollution Changes during COVID-19 Pandemic in Jiangsu Province of China from 2018 to 2021

Document Type : Original Article

Author

NUIST Reading Academy, 219 Ningliu Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210044, P.R. China

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, which began during early 2020, had been a worldwide problem, resulting in significant fatalities. In China, the pandemic resulted in strict lockdowns, restricted movement, and reduced transportation. This resulted in improvement of air quality in many cities in China. The objective of the study is to compare the nature of air quality pre-COVID period (2018-2019) and during COVID period (2020-2201). The following air quality parameters were investigated, air quality index (AQI), particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and carbon monoxide (CO). The present investigation results will augment to the current understanding on the air pollution situation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Jiangsu Province in China. The study revealed that air quality in Jiangsu Province improved during the months when COVID-19 positive cases increased. The reduction in air pollutants concentrations started during 2020 and reached a maximum during 2021. Overall the air quality index (AQI) improved by 8.2 % and air pollutant reductions achieved were, PMs (≈ 21%), SO2 (26.2 %), NO2 (13.6 %), O3 (2.4 %) and CO (10.4 %). Cities in Jiangsu Province with high air pollutant concentrations achieved a moderate reduction. The correlation between air pollutants and AQI was positive except for O3. The implications of the study are, reduction of fossil fuel powered vehicles and industrial activity can make notable positive impact on the air quality of the region.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References
  1. Worldometers.info, 2024. COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. Available at: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/# countries (Accessed: 10 March 2024).
  2. WHO, 2020a. WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19-11 March 2020. Available at: https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/ who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-202.
  3. Wikipedia, 2023. COVID-19 lockdowns. Available at: https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_lockdowns (Accessed: 12 September 2023).
  4. Bhatti UA, Zeeshan Z, Nizamani MM, Bazai S, Yu Z, Yuan L. Assessing the change of ambient air quality patterns in Jiangsu Province of China pre-to post-COVID-19. Chemosphere. 2022;288. Doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132569.
  5. A3M Global Monitoring, 2023. COVID-19 pandemic – China. Available at: https://global-monitoring.com/gm/page/ events/epidemic-0001905.3QnJ7K8JC559.html?lang=en (Accessed: 12 September 2023).
  6. Wu G, Sahabuddin M, Bhatti UA, Nawaz SA, Hasnain A, Bhatti MA, Fahim A, Kaleri AA, Kaleri AH. COVID-19 and Air Pollution: Air Quality Impact in 13 Cities of the Jiangsu Province of China. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies. 2022;31(5):4907–16. Doi: 10.15244/pjoes/149714.
  7. Keswani A, Akselrod H, Anenberg SC. Health and Clinical Impacts of Air Pollution and Linkages with Climate Change. NEJM evidence. 2022;1(7):EVIDra2200068. Doi: 10.1056/evidra2200068.
  8. Filonchyk M, Peterson M. Air Quality Changes in Shanghai, China, and the Surrounding Urban Agglomeration During the COVID-19 Lockdown. Journal of Geovisualization and Spatial Analysis. 2020;4(2). Doi: 10.1007/s41651-020-00064-5.
  9. Mahato S, Pal S, Ghosh KG. Effect of lockdown amid COVID-19 pandemic on air quality of the megacity Delhi, India. Science of the Total Environment. 2020;730. Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139086.
  10. Hernández-Paniagua IY, Valdez SI, Almanza V, Rivera-Cárdenas C, Grutter M, Stremme W, García-Reynoso A, Ruiz-Suárez LG. Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Air Quality and Resulting Public Health Benefits in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area. Frontiers in Public Health. 2021;9. Doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.642630.
  11. Citypopulation, 2020. CHINA: Jiangsu. Available at: https://www.citypopulation.de/en/china/cities/jiangsu/ (Accessed: 12 September 2023).
  12. Mukaka MM. A guide to appropriate use of correlation coefficient in medical research. Malawi Medical Journal. 2012;24(3):69–71.
  13. CSSEGISandData, 2023. JHU CSSE COVID-19 Data. Available at: https://github.com/CSSEGISandData/COVID-19 (Accessed: 12 September 2023).
  14. Johnson AC. Correlation Study of Meteorological Parameters and Criteria Air Pollutants in Jiangsu Province, China. Pollution. 2022;8(1):341–54. Doi: 10.22059/poll.2021.321137.1048.
  15. Ai W, Yang X, Liu D, Zhang M, Sun Y, Wang B, Luo X. Impact of the Levels of COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control Measures on Air Quality: A Case Study of Jiangsu Province, China. Atmosphere. 2022;13(5). Doi: 10.3390/atmos13050640.
  16. Hasnain A, Hashmi MZ, Bhatti UA, Nadeem B, Wei G, Zha Y, Sheng Y. Assessment of air pollution before, during and after the covid-19 pandemic lockdown in Nanjing, China. Atmosphere. 2021;12(6). Doi: 10.3390/atmos12060743.
  17. Xu X, Huang S, An F, Wang Z. Changes in Air Quality during the Period of COVID-19 in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(23). Doi: 10.3390/ijerph192316119.
  18. Li K, Ni R, Jiang T, Tian Y, Zhang X, Li C, Xie C. The regional impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the air quality in Ji’nan, China. Scientific Reports. 2022;12(1). Doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-16105-6.
  19. Khan S, Dahu BM, Scott GJ. A Spatio-temporal Study of Changes in Air Quality from Pre-COVID Era to Post-COVID Era in Chicago, USA. Aerosol and Air Quality Research. 2022;22(8). Doi: 10.4209/aaqr.220053.
  20. Skirienė AF, Stasiškienė Ž. COVID-19 and air pollution: Measuring pandemic impact to air quality in five European countries. Atmosphere. 2021;12(3). Doi: 10.3390/atmos12030290.
  21. WHO, 2021b. WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter (‎PM2.5 and PM10)‎, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Available at: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/345329 (Accessed: 12 September 2023).
  22. Liu X, Wei Y, Ji J. Quantifying the “Water–Carbon–Sulfur” Nexus for Coal Power Plants in China. Sustainability (Switzerland). 2022;14(6). Doi: 10.3390/su14063675.
  23. Shakoor A, Chen X, Farooq TH, Shahzad U, Ashraf F, Rehman A, Sahar NE, Yan W. Fluctuations in environmental pollutants and air quality during the lockdown in the USA and China: two sides of COVID-19 pandemic. Air quality, atmosphere, & health. 2020;13(11):1335–42. Doi: 10.1007/s11869-020-00888-6.
  24. Kumari P, Toshniwal D. Impact of lockdown measures during COVID-19 on air quality– A case study of India. International Journal of Environmental Health Research. 2022;32(3):503–10. Doi: 10.1080/09603123.2020.1778646.
  25. Tavella RA, da Silva Júnior FMR. Watch out for trends: did ozone increased or decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic? Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2021;28(47):67880–5. Doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-17142-w.
  26. Tripathi S, Mandal D, Chakraborty A. Investigation of Changes in Atmospheric Pollutants due to the Cessation of Anthropogenic Activities: Spatial Heterogeneity and Complex Atmospheric Chemistry. Aerosol Science and Engineering. 2023;7(2):237–50. Doi: 10.1007/s41810-023-00175-8.
  27. IQAir, 2023. Air quality in Xuzhou. Available at: https://www.iqair.com/china/jiangsu/xuzhou (Accessed: 12 September 2023).
  28. Wang Y, Ali MA, Bilal M, Qiu Z, Mhawish A, Almazroui M, Shahid S, Islam MN, Zhang Y, Haque MN. Identification of NO2 and SO2 pollution hotspots and sources in jiangsu province of china. Remote Sensing. 2021;13(18). Doi: 10.3390/rs13183742.
  29. Dong H, Yu Y, Yao S, Lu Y, Chen Z, Li G, Yao Y, Yao X, Wang SL, Zhang Z. Acute effects of air pollution on ischaemic stroke onset and deaths: A time-series study in Changzhou, China. BMJ Open. 2018;8(7). Doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020425.
  30. Monks PS, Archibald AT, Colette A, Cooper O, Coyle M, Derwent R, Fowler D, Granier C, Law KS, Mills GE, Stevenson DS. Tropospheric ozone and its precursors from the urban to the global scale from air quality to short-lived climate forcer. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2015;15(15):8889–973. Doi: 10.5194/acp-15-8889-2015.
  31. Tobías A, Carnerero C, Reche C, Massagué J, Via M, Minguillón MC, Alastuey A, Querol X. Changes in air quality during the lockdown in Barcelona (Spain) one month into the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Science of the Total Environment. 2020;726. Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138540.
  32. Fenech S, Aquilina NJ, Vella R. COVID-19-Related Changes in NO2 and O3 Concentrations and Associated Health Effects in Malta. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. 2021;3. Doi: 10.3389/frsc.2021.631280.
  33. Ojha N, Soni M, Kumar M, Gunthe SS, Chen Y, Ansari TU. Mechanisms and Pathways for Coordinated Control of Fine Particulate Matter and Ozone. Current pollution reports. 2022;8(4):594–604. Doi: 10.1007/s40726-022-00229-4.
Iranica Journal of Energy & Environment
Volume 15, Issue 4
October 2024
Pages 444-451
Files
Share
How to cite
Statistics