Variations in the Concentration of Air Pollutants due to the COVID-19 Lockdown in Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract

Countries have implemented partial or full quarantine practices to reduce the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely affects the whole world and controls the increase in the number of cases and deaths. Studies have observed improvements in air pollution due to the reduction in emissions from traffic and industrial processes during lockdown periods. In this study, the effects of quarantine activities on air quality in the pre-COVID-19 period and during the COVID-19 pandemic, both in 2020 and 2021, were examined through the data obtained from the air quality monitoring stations located in the three districts with the highest traffic density in Istanbul, the most populated city of Turkey. Based on the findings obtained from the study, it can be concluded that lockdown applications contributed to the reduction of air pollution in the examined regions. In addition, another finding is that there is a positive correlation between air quality parameters. It is expected that the results of the study will lead the decision-makers in the areas of dissemination of renewable energy systems instead of energy generation from coal-fired power plants and the widespread use of electric vehicles instead of diesel-fueled vehicles, for many countries that have committed to net-zero carbon emissions within the scope of the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal.