Environmental datasets display real facts as they show the state of various parts of nature in a particular period. A comparison of such indicators allows scientists to note trends and changes that point to environmental problems and also the pace of their development or decrease. The date set on the level of nitrogen dioxide in the air is one of the most frequently used information and its analysis can show determine the change in air pollution, its sources, and the rate of global warming.
Various regional and global organizations, as well as individual countries, collect information on the level of nitrogen dioxide in the air to determine the level of danger posed by such kinds of air pollution. One can find publicly available data and tables for different countries and years in which they were recorded; for example, the European Environmental Agency (2020) offers tables in which data are also sorted by type of pollutant. Nitrogen dioxide is the result of the burning of fossil fuels for the extraction of energy in power plants or the use of transport (“Nitrogen Dioxide,” 2020, para.1). The danger of such pollution is a direct harmful effect on the human body, agriculture, as well as the heating of the earth due to its inability to transfer heat back into space (“Reductions,” 2020, para.8). For this reason, scientists analyze data on nitrogen dioxide in the air to control it and reduce its detrimental impact. Consequently, scientists can compare data for several years or months, as well as external factors, to note their effect on the environment.
Moreover, the relations between changes in the level of nitrogen dioxide and the aggravation or solution of environmental problems are two-way. The first way is explicit in the fact of discovering the connection between air pollution and the acceleration of global warming, which threatens humanity with the melting of glaciers, cataclysms, and other terrible consequences. Understanding the trends of increasing air pollution and climate change factors helped scientists see the connection between these events and the world community started to act against these changes. Another example is the recent sharp reduction in the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air due to the pandemic of coronavirus and quarantine in most countries of the world. NASA notes that reducing the operation of power plants and factories, as well as the use of cars, has reduced air pollution in the United States by an average of 30% (“Reductions,” 2020, para.2). The Guardian also provides examples of improving air quality around the world, such as Delhi, Beijing or São Paulo, which usually have the highest pollution indices (Ellis-Petersen et al., 2020). Therefore, although the sources of air pollution are already known to science, an analysis of this dataset demonstrates the high efficiency of rejecting fossil fuels to solve environmental problems.
In conclusion, a dataset on air pollution and nitrogen dioxide levels, in particular, can be used to understand such issues as climate change and people’s health problems. In addition, tracking changes and comparing them with external factors makes it possible to determine the causes of pollution and the most effective ways to eliminate them. Consequently, although analysis of this dataset itself demonstrates an improvement or worsening of the situation, one has to associate it with other facts and processes to get at accurate conclusions.
Reference List
- Ellis-Petersen, H. et al. (2020).’‘It’s positively alpine!’: disbelief in big cities as air pollution falls‘, The Guardian. Web.
- European Environmental Agency (2020). Air quality statistics calculated by the EEA (F). Web.
- Reductions in nitrogen dioxide air pollution presumably associated with reductions in fossil fuel use(2020). Web.
- Nitrogen dioxide (2020). Web.