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environment. We had an idea to study how COVID-19-related changes impacted the UAE’s air quality and UHI at the same time that many other researchers were investigating the pandemic’s impact on other places.” His co-authors on the paper included Dr. Mohamed E. Hereher, Professor of Environmental Earth Science at Damietta University in Egypt; Dr. Gordana Kaplan, Assistant Professor at Institute of Earth and Space Sciences at Eskisehir Technical University in Turkey; Dr. Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi, Professor of Applied Remote Sensing and GIS at Tishk International University in Iraq; and Dr. Hakim Saibi, Associate Professor of Geology at UAEU.
Left to right: Dr. Hakim Saibi and Dr. Abduldaem S. Alqasemi
“WE HAD AN IDEA TO STUDY HOW COVID-19RELATED CHANGES IMPACTED THE UAE’S AIR QUALITY AND UHI AT THE SAME TIME THAT MANY OTHER RESEARCHERS WERE INVESTIGATING THE PANDEMIC’S IMPACT ON OTHER PLACES” Dr. Abduldaem S. Alqasemi United Arab Emirates University
20 ISSUE 03
The team members focused their observation on Dubai and the Northern Emirates of the UAE, which includes Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah, Fujairah, and Ajman. This area was selected as the project’s focus due to the fact that 71% of the country’s population falls within this region, making its study highly relevant to the wider country. To quantify the impact of reduced transportation and industrial activity on the urban environment in the six targeted emirates, researchers gathered data on nitrogen dioxide, aerosol optical depth (AOD), and temperature from both satellites and on-ground meteorological stations. Nitrogen dioxide is a toxic gas that is produced through vehicle emissions, power plants, and other types of combustion engine-powered machinery. AOD, meanwhile, is a measure of how particles in the atmosphere block sunlight by scattering it. Data on PM2.5 levels, a measure of fine particulate matter found in the air that is 2.5 micrometers in size, was gathered by researchers in order to assess the AOD. Fine inhalable particles of this sort – be they solid or liquid – are particularly dangerous to humans as they can be absorbed into the lungs and bloodstream. Data on these three major metrics was gathered for the March-June 2020 period, corresponding to when the UAE imposed a daily curfew from 8pm to 6am in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This was compared to data from March-June 2019, when urban activity was normal. The researchers then analyzed the air quality and temperature-related data for the lockdown period and compared it to the previous year. As for what the data revealed? A dramatic drop in SUHII – an average reduction of 19.2% – alongside a 12.2% average reduction in nitrogen levels and 3.7% average drop in AOD. A paper on this research was published in Science of the Total Environment, an international
