The effects of covid on the quality of the air

The effects of covid on the quality of the air

Laurie-Anne

    The effects of covid on the quality of the air 

 

     The air quality in Quebec is not the best, but the lockdown made a big change on that. The pollution due to vehicles is the one that has the most impact.

 

     Smog is another kind of pollution, but we can clearly see this one. It looks like a big cloud on top of big cities or polluted places. It is a mixture of smoke and sulfur dioxide.

 

     While everyone was quarantined at home the roads were empty and several contaminants associated with road transportation decreased. Here are some of them: 

The highway traffic greatly diminished and the result was good.

 

     From previous observation, at the big lockdown in Quebec the number of vehicles on the Henri-IV highway dropped by 60% from 500,000 to 200,000, which is a lot.

      That observation hasn’t only been in Quebec but places all around the world noticed a difference on the quality of the air. 

     In Edmonton and Calgary the amount of nitrogen dioxide dropped by 40%.

     “A few months (of reduction) will do us good, as it reduces deaths and illnesses from air pollution, especially at a time when we are really concerned about the respiratory system.” Told Miriam Diamond, professor of earth sciences at the University of Toronto.

     Bas Mijling, atmospheric scientist at KNMI,said , “Quarantine measures implemented in Berlin led to a drop of about 20% with small variations seen until August 2020. In eastern Europe, the impact of the measures has been generally less dramatic than in southern Europe, and in France, where reductions of approximately 40–50% were observed during the strict lockdowns of March and April.”

     Here are some before and after pictures of New Delhi :

 

After:                                                                                                                       Before: