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Changes Of Air Pollutants In Urban Cities During The Covid-19 Lockdown-Sri Lanka, Buddhi Pushpawela, Sherly Shelton, Gayathri Liyanage, Sanduni Jayasekara, Dimuthu Rajapaksha, Akila Jayasundara, Lesty Das Jayasuriya

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Sri Lanka underwent a nationwide lockdown that limited motor vehicle movement, industrial operations, and human activities. This study analyzes the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and particulate matter (PM₁₀, PM_2.5) concentrations in two urban cities (Colombo and Kandy) in Sri Lanka, by comparison of data from the lockdown period (March to May 2020) with its analogous period of 2019 and 2021. The results showed that the percentage change of daytime …