The epidemic raging in China has led to a decrease in nitrogen dioxide emissions in the country. Its concentration in different regions of the PRC is now 10-30% lower than in the same period of previous years.
Satellite images taken in January-February 2020 show that the amount of nitrogen dioxide NO 2 emissions dropped sharply in the PRC. A decrease in emissions of this substance was first observed in the city of Wuhan and its surroundings, and then spread to the entire country.
According to NASA employees, this situation is "partially related" to the economic crisis due to the coronavirus epidemic. “This is the first time I've seen such a sharp decline in such a vast area at a particular event,” says Fei Liu, an Air and Space Agency air quality specialist. According to the scientist, a similar decrease in emissions was observed during the global economic crisis of 2008 and during the Olympic Games in Beijing, but in both cases it was more gradual and not so deep.
The change in the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere coincided with the celebration of the Lunar New Year, when many industries in China and most of Asia are suspended. However, in January-February 2020, NO2 levels in various regions of the PRC were 10-30 percent lower than in the same period in previous years.
NO2 concentration in the vicinity of Wuhan in January-February 2019 (top row of images) and in the same period in 2020.
NO2 is formed in large quantities during the operation of internal combustion engines, as well as as a result of the activities of industrial enterprises (especially chemical production). This substance, escaping into the atmosphere, leads to the appearance of acid rain. When nitrogen dioxide interacts with water, nitric acid is formed, a powerful corrosive agent. In addition, NO2 irritates the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and lowers the hemoglobin level in the blood.
Author: Denis Gordeev