Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Mariel Judd, Junior Tate Grant, Junior
Lead Presenter's Name
Mariel Judd
Faculty Mentor Name
Marwa El-Sayed
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Abstract
The world has been facing an unprecedented pandemic caused by the novel COVID-19 virus. Due to this pandemic, countries have undergone nationwide lockdowns which has consequently led to drastic reductions in commuting and substantial environmental effects. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first to investigate the relationship between changes in traffic and air quality during the lockdowns in major cities representing diverse areas in the state of Florida. Same-day traffic volumes acquired from Florida Department of Transportation for 2019 and 2020 have been analyzed to identify changes in traffic load for light (passenger) and heavy (trucks) vehicles. Hourly data for particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide were provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from 2015 through 2020. The impact of the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by comparing air quality and traffic data in 2020 to their historic values during three periods, namely: pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown. Our results will provide insight into the relative impact of vehicle classifications on air quality in the state. This work will have implications on policy making and vehicular emissions regulations.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
On the Impact of the Lockdowns of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Air Quality and Transportation Patterns in the State of Florida
The world has been facing an unprecedented pandemic caused by the novel COVID-19 virus. Due to this pandemic, countries have undergone nationwide lockdowns which has consequently led to drastic reductions in commuting and substantial environmental effects. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first to investigate the relationship between changes in traffic and air quality during the lockdowns in major cities representing diverse areas in the state of Florida. Same-day traffic volumes acquired from Florida Department of Transportation for 2019 and 2020 have been analyzed to identify changes in traffic load for light (passenger) and heavy (trucks) vehicles. Hourly data for particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide were provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from 2015 through 2020. The impact of the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by comparing air quality and traffic data in 2020 to their historic values during three periods, namely: pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown. Our results will provide insight into the relative impact of vehicle classifications on air quality in the state. This work will have implications on policy making and vehicular emissions regulations.