Changes in air quality over different land covers associated with COVID-19 in Turkey aided by GEE

Abstract

With the increased urbanization, the rise of the manufacturing industry, and the use of fossil fuels, poor air quality is one of the most serious and pressing problems worldwide. The COVID-19 outbreak prompted absolute lockdowns in the majority of countries throughout the world, posing new research questions. The study's goals were to analyze air and temperature parameters in Turkey across various land cover classes and to investigate the correlation between air and temperature. For that purpose, remote sensing data from MODIS and Sentinel-5P TROPOMI were used from 2019 to 2021 over Turkey. A large amount of data was processed and analyzed in Google Earth Engine (GEE). Results showed a significant decrease in NO2 in urban areas. The findings can be used in long-term strategies for lowering global air pollution. Future research should look at similar investigations in various study sites and evaluate changes in air metrics over additional classes.