Has air quality improved in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic? A parametric analysis

Manuel A Zambrano-Monserrate; María Alejandra Ruano

doi:10.1007/s11869-020-00866-y

Has air quality improved in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic? A parametric analysis

Air Qual Atmos Health. 2020;13(8):929-938. doi: 10.1007/s11869-020-00866-y. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Authors

Manuel A Zambrano-Monserrate¹, María Alejandra Ruano²

Affiliations

¹ Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador.
² Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanísticas, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Abstract

Many governments around the world have enforced quarantine policies to control the spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). These policies have had positive and negative effects on the environment. For example, the concentrations of certain harmful pollutants have decreased in some countries. In contrast, the concentrations of other pollutants have increased. This research analyzes the effect of quarantine policies on air quality in Quito, Ecuador. Using a parametric approach, it was found that NO₂ and PM2.5 concentrations have decreased significantly since the establishment of lockdown measures. However, O₃ concentrations have increased considerably in 2020.

Keywords: Air quality; COVID-19; Ecuador; NO2; O3; PM2.5; Pollution.