Footprints of COVID-19 on Pollution in Southern Spain

Abstract

Background: Many annual deaths in Spain could be avoided if pollution levels were reduced. Every year, several municipalities in the Community of Andalusia, located in southern Spain, exceed the acceptable levels of atmospheric pollution. In this sense, the evolution of primary air pollutants during the March–June 2020 lockdown can be taken as reliable evidence to analyze the effectiveness of potential air quality regulations. Data and Method: Using a multivariate linear regression model, this paper assesses the levels of NO2, O3, and PM10 in Andalusia within the 2017–2020 period, relating these representative indices of air quality with lockdown stages during the pandemic and considering control variables such as climatology, weekends, or the intrusion of Saharan dust. To reveal patterns at a local level between geographic zones, a spatial analysis was performed. Results: The results show that the COVID-19 lockdown had a heterogeneous effect on the analyzed pollutants within Andalusia’s geographical regions. In general terms, NO2 and PM10 concentrations decreased in the main metropolitan areas and the industrial districts of Huelva and the Strait of Gibraltar. At the same time, O3 levels rose in high-temperature regions of Cordoba and Malaga.

Footprint of the 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown on Column-Integrated Aerosol Parameters in Spain

“…This increase in AOD during the lockdown period seems to be in contrast to the PM decrease reported by other authors for different locations in Spain [34,41,[49][50][51][52]. This discrepancy emphasises the differences between the behaviour shown by the aerosol near the ground measured by in situ techniques and the column aerosol, which is often driven by advected air masses travelling long distances.…”

“…Therefore, several studies have also been conducted on the effects of the restrictions in this area. Most of them have focused on air quality in densely populated cities such as Barcelona [49], Madrid [50] or Valencia [51], in selected groups of cities [41,42] or in extensive networks with a large number of stations covering both urban and rural areas [52]. In general terms, all these in situ studies have reported a reduction in the PM recorded at ground level.…”

Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on hourly levels of PM10, PM2.5 and black carbon at an industrial suburban site in northern Spain

“…In addition, there is a Port of 4.2·10 6 m 2 . Seaports have been reported to be a major source of PM due to the handling of materials, which causes the resuspension of loose materials ( Wirth et al, 2022 ). Indeed, the Port of Gijón moves a large quantity of bulk commodities (mainly coal, iron ore and cement), which are handled and stored in the open air, and thus, it can give rise to important diffuse emissions of particles due to the action of the wind.…”