Remote Sensing and GIS Applications in Environmental Sciences

Investigating the effect of reducing activities and traffic during the outbreak of Coronavirus on temporal-spatial changes of nitrogen dioxide pollutant using Sentinel 5 satellite images in East Azarbaijan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Tabriz university

10.22034/rsgi.2023.56866.1051

Abstract

Air pollution is one of the most significant challenges in today's world, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor and control the amount of pollutants that threaten human health. In recent years, remote sensing data related to the Sentinel 5 Tropomy sensor has been considered a rich and up-to-date source of information for monitoring and investigating the temporal-spatial changes of air pollutants. In this study, the Google Earth Engine system was used to obtain Tropomi sensor products to check the amount of nitrogen dioxide pollutants in East Azerbaijan province. For this purpose, the distribution map of the NO2 was produced in four consecutive years (1397-1400). Additionally, due to the effective role of motor vehicle traffic in increasing the amount of this pollutant on the one hand and the restriction of activities and traffic of cars during the spread of the Covid-19 virus on the other hand, the changes of nitrogen dioxide in different time periods were investigated to determine the effect of restrictions on the concentration of this pollutant quantitatively. Also, in order to investigate the impact of the reopening of schools and universities after the corona pandemic, pollutant distribution maps were produced and compared for April 1400 and April 1401. The results showed that the density of NO2 in the center of the province was higher than in other cities in all time periods, and the 14-day closure in 2019 had the greatest effect in reducing the pollutant, which was about 59% in Tabriz.

Keywords

Main Subjects

آلودگی هوا یکی از چالشهای مهم دنیای امروز، بهویژه در کشورهای در حال توسعه، به شمار میآید. لذا پایش و کنترل میزان آلایندههایی که سلامت انسانها را بهمخاطره انداختهاند، امری ضروری میباشد. در سالهای اخیر، دادههای سنجش از دوری مربوط به سنجنده تروپومی ماهواره سنتینل 5، بهعنوان یک منبع غنی و بروز اطلاعات، جهت پایش و بررسی تغییرات زمانی-مکانی آلایندههای هوا مورد توجّّه قرار گرفته است. در این مطالعه از سامانه گوگل ارث انجین برای دستیابی به محصولات سنجنده تروپومی جهت بررسی میزان آلاینده دیاکسید نیتروژن در استان آذربایجانشرقی استفاده شد. ابتدا برای بررسی روند کلی تغییرات، نقشههای پراکندگی مکانی آلاینده مذکور در چهار سال متوالی )1400- 1397( تولید گردید. در ادامه، تأثیر کاهش فعالیتها و تردد خودروها بر میزان غلظت این آلاینده، در زمان شیوع ویروس کووید-19، مورد بررسی قرار گرفت و نقشههای پراکندگی دیاکسید نیتروژن در بازههای زمانی مختلف تهیه و مقایسه شدند. همچنین جهت بررسی تأثیر بازگشایی مدارس و دانشگاهها بعد از کنترل کرونا، نقشههای پراکندگی مکانی آلاینده برای نیمه دوم فروردین ماه سالهای 1400 و 1401 مورد مقایسه قرار گرفتند. نتایج پژوهش نشان داد

که میزان 2NO در مرکز استان، در کلیه بازههای زمانی بیشتر از دیگر شهرها بوده و تعطیلی دو هفتهای در آذرماه 1399 بیشترین تأثیر را در کاهش این آلاینده داشته؛ بطوریکه میزان آن در تبریز بیش از 50 درصد کمتر شده است. همچنین براساس نتایج مربوط به بررسی سالانه، میانگین آلاینده مذکور هم در کل استان و هم در تبریز در سال 1399 از سایر سالها کمتر بوده و بازگشایی مراکز آموزشی نیز باعث افزایش 2NO گردیده است .

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Remote Sensing and GIS Applications in Environmental Sciences
Volume 3, Issue 7 - Serial Number 6
July 2023
Pages 23-1
  • Receive Date: 28 May 2023
  • Revise Date: 25 June 2023
  • Accept Date: 21 August 2023