{"id":4493,"date":"2020-03-26T11:45:19","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T11:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=4493"},"modified":"2020-05-20T15:48:21","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T14:48:21","slug":"how-has-covid-19-isolation-effected-air-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/how-has-covid-19-isolation-effected-air-pollution\/4493\/","title":{"rendered":"How has COVID-19 isolation effected air pollution?"},"content":{"rendered":"
While analysing satellite images from the ESA\u2019s innovative Sentinel-5P mission<\/a> of the Copernicus programme<\/a>, scientist have discovered that the concentration of nitrogen dioxide has decreased by 64% in Spain\u2019s largest cities. These results follow the measures implemented to reduce the spread of COVID-19<\/a>.<\/p>\n As one of the leading causes of air pollution, scientists studied the levels of nitrogen dioxide and found that they decreased the most in Barcelona (83%), Madrid (73%), and Valencia (64%).<\/p>\n A team of researchers from Valencia\u2019s Polytechnic University (UPV) compared the Sentinel-5P data from two timeframes: from 10 March to 14 March and from 15 March to 20 March. From this data, they generated a series of maps that show the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in some of the main cities in Spain.<\/p>\n Of the regions studied by UPV, the largest reduction in air pollution was found in Barcelona (83%), however, researchers discovered significant changes in regions such as:<\/p>\n Elena S\u00e1nchez-Garc\u00eda, researcher from UPV, highlighted that nitrogen dioxide is a significant indicator of air quality. \u201cHigh concentrations of this gas can affect the respiratory system and worsen certain pathologies. Furthermore, this gas is linked to the formation of acid rain.<\/p>\n \u201cAs has been verified in the case of Wuhan (China) or northern Italy, our study confirms that the measures of confinement and economic activity decrease have translated into a clear fall in atmospheric pollution nationwide,\u201d commented S\u00e1nchez-Garc\u00eda.<\/p>\nFurther statistics<\/h3>\n
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What do the experts say?<\/h3>\n