TITLE:
Exploring the Relationship between Spatiotemporal Variations in Air Quality and Meteorological Parameters before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Xi’an
AUTHORS:
Muhammad Sajid Mehmood, Shiyan Zhai, Gang Li, Yaochen Qin, Vithana Pathirannehelage Indika Sandamali Wijeratne
KEYWORDS:
Spatiotemporal Analysis, Air Quality Index, Meteorological Parameters, COVID-19
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.12 No.8,
August
19,
2024
ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the air pollution of the world. The present study investigated the temporal and spatial variability in air quality in Xi’an, China, and its relationship with meteorological parameters during and before the COVID-19 pandemic. The outcomes of this study indicated that air pollutants, PM2.5, NO2, PM10, CO, and SO2 are likely to decrease during winter (25%, 50%, 30%, 40%, and 35%) to spring (30%, 55%, 38%, 50%, and 40%) and summer (40%, 58%, 60%, 55%, and 47%), respectively. However, the concentration of O3-8h increased by 40%, 55%, and 65% during winter, spring, and summer, respectively. The values of the air quality index decreased during the COVID-19 period. Furthermore, significant positive trends were reported in PM2.5, NO2, PM10, O3, and SO2, and no notable trends in CO during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both during and before the COVID-19 period, PM10, NO2, PM2.5, CO, and SO2 showed a negative correlation with the temperature and a moderately positive significant correlation between O3-8h and temperature. The findings of this study would help understand the air pollution circumstances in Xi’an before and during the COVID-19 period and offer helpful information regarding the implications of different air pollution control strategies.