Assessment of emission reduction and impact factors for air pollutants in jordan during the covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of traffic, industry and Jordan climate change on the reduction and dispersion of Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), Sulfur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Carbon monoxide (CO), and Particulate Matters PM10 (particles with aerodynamic diameters < 10 m) before and after COVID-19 pandemic in Amman, the capital city of Jordan, which has the highest population and traffic densities, and Az Zarqa, an industrial area with 55% of different types of industries. The monthly concentration of air pollutants, temperature, humidity, and wind speed were measured and analyzed in the two cities. Three meteorological maps were generated using QGIS, linear, multiple regression models, and Pearson correlations were developed. Results of the present study reveal that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant decrease in the concentrations of these air pollutants. This decrease is attributed to the reduction of primary sources of air pollutants, which are linked to the reductions in traffic volume and industrial activities during the lockdown. Furthermore, linear and multiple regression statistical results show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Amman traffic was the most influencing factor that positively correlated in the reduction of PM10, CO with r2=(+0.73,+0.54), the influencing factor of H2S and NO2 was the humidity as r2=(+0.47,+0.50). Wind speed has a negative correlation with SO2 reduction with r2=(-0.42). In Az Zarqa, traffic was the most influencing factor in the reduction of PM10 with r2=+0.62. Humidity has a significant impact on the dispersion of CO with r2=+0.63, but the influencing factor of H2S, SO2, and NO2 was the industry as r2=(+0.77,+0.57,0.75). Efforts to reduce traffic-related emissions and manage humidity levels could effectively mitigate PM10 and CO as well as H2S and SO2 pollution, respectively.