#Will there be another lockdown houston series#
The upper panel of the figure presents a box-and-whisker time series of the average monthly TROPOMI tropospheric NO 2 VCD data, averaged over a 0.30 x 0.30 box over Houston. The northeastern region, like Woodville and Warren, and the southerly region, Palacios, have relatively low NO2 levels.įigure 2 shows similar trends in the data collected from TROPOMI satellite and EPA monitors during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Texas. The Bolivar Peninsula and Alvin-Pearland, located in the southwest, had a measure of 5.2-5.8 x 10^15 molecules/cm^2.
The data for March and April of 2019, 2020, and 2021 during the lockdown period of COVID-19 have been compared to evaluate the impact of the lockdown on NO 2 emissions.Īs shown in Figure 1 (top left panel), Houston, Baytown, and Pasadena were the centers of high NO2 pollution in 2019, with values as high as 6.5 x 10^15 molecules/cm^2. The upper panel of Figure 1 illustrates the NO 2 vertical column density (VCD) in Houston, as captured by high-resolution TROPOMI satellite data, presented in units of molecules/cm 2. Businesses were permitted to reopen starting May 1st, 2020, but due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, the state of Texas suspended further reopening on June 25th. The lockdown included a variety of restrictions, such as limiting the number of people who could gather, closing schools, and restricting travel.
As a result of the pandemic, atmospheric scientists had an unprecedented opportunity to study and track the amount of pollution caused by fewer human interactions with the environment. Lockdowns, quarantines, and travel restrictions limited the use of fossil fuels in daily life during this period, reducing NO 2 pollution. Texas relies heavily on energy production, so its economy was at risk when COVID-19 struck. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, due to a worldwide outbreak of new Coronaviruses (COVID-19). By understanding NOx sources and atmospheric processes, air pollution could be mitigated without harming industrial and business activities. Due to Texas’s migration destination status, that state experiences constant population growth, leading to increased pollution in Houston. In addition, these booming industries have adversely affected the environment, human health, and natural ecosystems. According to Accounts 1, Texas contributed significantly to the nation’s economy by producing the most oil (43%) and natural gas (25%). Oil & gas extraction is a highly booming industry in Texas, and all of these sources involve burning fossil fuels. Power plants, motor vehicles, construction industries, and food manufacturing are among Texas’s most prevalent sources of tropospheric NO 2 emissions. Among the most significant anthropogenic processes is burning fossil fuels (64% of total emissions), while natural processes include vegetation fires, lightning, and soil erosion. 3 Anthropogenic and natural processes contribute to NO 2 pollution in the atmosphere. Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) is a trace gas associated with various respiratory and environmental health issues.
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