NO2 Decline Related to Restrictions Due to COVID-19 in South America
On June 1, the World Health Organization noted that Central and South American countries have become “the intense zones” for COVID-19 transmission. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board NASA’s Aura satellite provides data that indicate that restrictions on human activity have led to about a 36% decrease in NO2 levels in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, relative to previous years. Other large cities in South America show similar decreases in NO2: 36% in Santiago, Chile; 35% in São Paolo, Brazil; and 40% in Buenos Aires, Argentina. One notable exception is in Lima, Peru, showing a 69% decrease. The large decrease may partly be associated with natural variations in weather that can, for instance, disperse air pollution more quickly. Additional analysis is required to determine the amount of the decrease of NO2 in Lima that is associated with a decrease in human activity. A notable increase in NO2 occurred in northern South America, which is likely associated with increased agricultural burning in 2020 relative to previous years.
NO2, South America, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, Spanish
NO2, South America, April 15-May 31 2020, Spanish
NO2, South America, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, English
NO2, South America, April 15-May 31 2020, English
Animated Gif - NO2 changes in Lima, Peru - Spanish version
NO2, Lima, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, Spanish
NO2, Lima, April 15-May 31 2020, Spanish
NO2, Lima, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, English
NO2, Lima, April 15-May 31 2020, English
Animated Gif - NO2 changes in Santiago, Chile - spanish version
NO2, Santiago, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, Spanish
NO2, Santiago, April 15-May 31 2020, Spanish
NO2, Santiago, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, English
NO2, Santiago, April 15-May 31 2020, English
Animated gif showing NO2change April 15 to May 31 - spanish version
NO2, Buenos Aires, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, Spanish
NO2, Buenos Aires, April 15-May 31 2020, Spanish
NO2, Buenos Aires, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, English
NO2, Buenos Aires, April 15-May 31 2020, English
NO2, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, Spanish
NO2, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, April 15-May 31 2020, Spanish
NO2, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, April 15-May 31 2015-2019, English
NO2, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, April 15-May 31 2020, English
Colorbar, Spanish
Colorbar, English
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
-
Visualizer
- Trent L. Schindler (USRA)
-
Scientists
- Bryan Duncan (NASA/GSFC)
- Lok Lamsal (USRA)
- Joanna Joiner (NASA/GSFC)
- Yasuko Yoshida (SSAI)
-
Producers
- Kathryn Mersmann (USRA)
- Maria-Jose Vinas Garcia (Telophase)
Release date
This page was originally published on Thursday, June 18, 2020.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:44 PM EDT.
Datasets used in this visualization
-
[Aura: OMI]
ID: 147 -
Ozone [Aura: OMI]
ID: 264 -
BMNG (Blue Marble: Next Generation) [Terra and Aqua: MODIS]
ID: 508Credit: The Blue Marble data is courtesy of Reto Stockli (NASA/GSFC).
This dataset can be found at: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/
See all pages that use this dataset
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.