How the world emergency coronavirus showed a decline in air pollution level in China. On 3rd March 2020, NASA released a satellite image of China which shows a drastic drop in the pollution in some Chinese regions, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Wuhan. The map shows the level of atmospheric NO2 in the areas before and after the Chinese government imposed quarantine. It shows the NO2 level over two periods – January 1-20 when the pollution was higher and February 10-25 when the NO2 concentration has almost diminished. The pollution level in these regions generally drops during this time of the year due to Lunar New Year, but the decline has never been so stark. The emission reduction was first evident in and near Wuhan, but then eventually spread across the country. The effect of air pollution was also observed during the SARS outbreak back in 2003. In China, the probability of the fatality rate was twice as higher in regions with poor quality air than those having good air quality.

1. Without us !
With us :)

2. How the world emergency Coronavirus showed a
decline in Air Pollution level in China
Is there a deeper impact?
www.oizom.com

3. The coronavirus epidemic that started in the Wuhan district of Hubei Province in China on 17th November
2019 has now become a threat to the world. The most alarming thing about this COVID-19 virus is that its
symptoms are not visible immediately and it may take 2-14 days before they appear. This has led to its viral
spread.
As of 19.03.20, 1400 hrs, a total of 2,18,943 people have been infected and the pandemic has resulted in 8,957
casualties across the globe.
Currently, the Chinese government has imposed a quarantine in Wuhan. The city has been under lockdown
to prevent further spread. Several other cities and countries have been under quarantine or lockdown
looking at the severe spread.
www.oizom.com
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

4. How has it impacted daily lives?
People are being careful in contacting other people. Mass gatherings are being avoided. Social distancing is
being followed more strictly than ever. Those who are returning from international travels, especially from
the worst-hit countries are being quarantined for the virus. Common people are panicking and are stocking
up daily ration and essentials, which is further increasing the panic.
Hospitals are working at their 200% capacity to handle the surge of infected people. People are being
responsible and aware, and even at the slightest hint of the chances of infection, are quarantining
themselves and getting tested. The government is providing full support to the common people.
www.oizom.com

5. www.oizom.com

6. The Surprising Outcome
Amongst this pandemic chaos in the
world, recently we noticed one of its
surprising effects.
On 3rd March 2020, NASA released a
satellite image of China which shows a
drastic drop in the pollution in some
Chinese regions, including Beijing,
Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Wuhan. The
map shows the level of atmospheric NO2
in the areas before and after the Chinese
government imposed quarantine.
www.oizom.com

7. ● It shows the NO2 level over two periods – January 1-20 when the pollution was higher and February 10-
25 when the NO2 concentration has almost diminished. The pollution level in these regions generally
drops during this time of the year due to Lunar New Year, but the decline has never been so stark. The
emission reduction was first evident in and near Wuhan, but then eventually spread across the
country.
● The effect of air pollution was also observed during the SARS outbreak back in 2003. In China, the
probability of the fatality rate was twice as higher in regions with poor quality air than those having
good air quality.
www.oizom.com
The Surprising Outcome

8. The answer is yes.
Since the outbreak, the city has been under quarantine. Chinese authorities have shut down all local
businesses and transportation to and from Wuhan. Most parts of China are under lockdown. People are
staying back at home, halting planes, trains, subways, and most private vehicles. The operations of factories
and power plants have been suspended. The curb in transportation and industrial emission is what has led to
NO2 reduction.
This has resulted in economic lockdown in China. It led to a positive impact as the major sources of pollution
in China are industrial emissions from major manufacturing hubs and a surge in vehicular emission due to
the increased population. The quarantine has put a reign on these factors.
www.oizom.com
Is this decline in Air Pollution linked to the virus spread?

9. www.oizom.com
Is this decline in Air Pollution linked to the virus spread?

10. After imposing travel restrictions across various cities in the world, this reduction in emissions has been
observed in multiple countries. According to FlightRadar24, the aircraft flight traffic website, global air traffic
has reduced by 4.3% in February.
Most of the US airlines have suspended international flights to the affected areas. As per the New York Times,
air travel accounts for 2.5% of carbon emissions globally. Imposing travel bans has proven to be beneficial for
the environment.
Apart from travel, people are also implementing changes in their working style. Organizations have been
advised to cancel meetings and business travels. Most of the companies have initiated remote work or ‘work
from home’ policy to avoid mass gathering.
www.oizom.com
Impact on pollution around the world

11. Although the reduction in pollution concentration seems like a positive outcome of this unfortunate COVID-
19 outbreak, it is only short-lived. It can make a small tweak but is not going to mitigate climate change.
Once the crisis is under control and the economy takes back its hold, there are chances that this positive
impact will be erased. China will try to compensate for the economic loss by speeding up the manufacturing
process and ramping up industries and power plants.
The governments all over the world have taken immediate and prompt actions to prevent the infection. This
shows that we can take strict measures for environmental protection also.
This outbreak can teach us a lesson on how to remold our lifestyle to curb pollution emission.
www.oizom.com
Is this a silver lining?

12. How can the Air Quality Monitoring System (AQMS) help?
Outbreaks like SARS and COVID-19 suggest that whenever such epidemics occur, it will impact the
environment and human health. Ambient Air Quality Monitoring thus becomes very crucial to understand
such scenarios. A well-strategized network of air quality monitors can give all the information about air
pollutants present in the atmosphere like NOx, CO2, CO, SOx, VOCs, PM, and harmful gases.
Real-time ubiquitous monitoring and microdata analysis of the environment can help in understanding the
pollution level of each area and take preventive and corrective action on-time. AQMS can help in identifying
the primary source of different pollutants and leverage situations like this, where we observe a reduction in
pollution concentration in a particular region and scale it to encompass larger areas for pollution control.
www.oizom.com

13. Without us !
With us :)
Oizom Instruments Pvt. Ltd.
306 Indraprasth Corporate, Anand Nagar Road
Prahladnagar, Ahmedabad - India
+91-8866660025 | contact@oizom.com
Oizom - Savoie Technolac
House Boat 9, 12 Allee Du Lac De Garde,
Le Bourget du lac, France
+33 (0) 783426695 | hello@oizom.com
With us :)