Air Pollution Monitoring in Peru Using Satellite Data During the Quarantine Due to COVID-19

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation at the international level is critical. COVID-19 is a type of pneumonia due to a coronavirus family. Due to this situation, like many countries, the Peruvian government has decreed mandatory social isolation, which was in effect through June 30, 2020. According to this decree, people were to stay at home and only go out to cover basic needs. After more than 50 days, some images and videos presented in different communication channels, show that animals and vegetation recover their space on the planet. Pollution reduction is probable too, which is vital for our ecosystem. However, there is no measurable way to quantify the impact of social isolation on air pollution in Peru. Thus, the present research work aims to show more objectively how much there has been a decrease in air pollution in Peru. The idea is to analyze the quantity of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, aerosol, carbon monoxide, methane, and clouds in the air. For this purpose, remote sensing data is used from the Copernicus Data Hub of the European Space Agency, specifically, the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite. The obtained results show a reduction in air pollution in different regions of Peru.