Image taken from journal article
A) 2005-2010 B)2010-2014
The article being cited within the news article obtained data using satellites owned by NASA, as well as a Dutch satellite to determine Tropospheric Vertical Column Densities (TVCD) by detecting scattered solar UV and visible radiation. The colors displayed on the map represent an increase (red) or decrease (blue) of pollution over a given time period. The values given in the journal article are not converted to Dobson units. Instead the scale used is in 10^15 molecules/cm^2. This is because the observed values were an order of magnitude less than a Dobson unit.
The article does not go in to large detail with the science. This is not a surprise, as I would assume most of the general public have no concept of what a Dobson unit. The article also only displays the figure that shows the change in TVCD, and not the initial values or overall averages. The article only mentions the decreases seen due to war, and neglects how in Lebanon there has been an increase in pollution. Also neglected were the trends relating changes in GDP and pollution. Greece has had an economic slowdown. Iran had sanctions placed against them. Neither of which are mentioned in the news article. The news article also states that in decrease in pollution is not due to policy changes, which is mostly true. With Kuwait being the exception. Overall I think that the Quartz article did not due a great job of presenting all of the data found, and is only using data that is convenient to present.
The article does not go in to large detail with the science. This is not a surprise, as I would assume most of the general public have no concept of what a Dobson unit. The article also only displays the figure that shows the change in TVCD, and not the initial values or overall averages. The article only mentions the decreases seen due to war, and neglects how in Lebanon there has been an increase in pollution. Also neglected were the trends relating changes in GDP and pollution. Greece has had an economic slowdown. Iran had sanctions placed against them. Neither of which are mentioned in the news article. The news article also states that in decrease in pollution is not due to policy changes, which is mostly true. With Kuwait being the exception. Overall I think that the Quartz article did not due a great job of presenting all of the data found, and is only using data that is convenient to present.
News article
qz.com/487165/the-only-region-in-asia-where-air-pollution-is-declining-is-the-middle-east/
journal article
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/7/e1500498.full-text.pdf+html
Great article, I find it interesting that the graphs provided represent barely any data that is helpful to fully understand the impact the article is trying to explain. I agree, that there are many political factors that play a role within the turmoils happening in the middle east. The fact that the author says "...the Middle East would be better off if it started implementing environmental policies now" shows a lack of understanding of how to alleviate the situation.
ReplyDeleteIn the Quartz article, Akshat Rathi oversimplifies the environmental and sociopolitical factors in the Middle East that are contributing to a reduction in NOx emissions. I agree with Alex that the data presented was convenient to his argument, particularly as Rathi included a direct quotation from the PI that was not included in the Science Advances study and gave very little context for the two tropospheric NO2 column density maps. While the study discusses the economic instability of Greece and the correlation with reduced NOx emissions, it was interesting that neither the study nor the article discuss the influx of refugees to Turkey and Eastern Europe, and how that may impact emissions. Further, Rathi states that once the Middle East is politically stable, any emissions policies put in place now would help keep air pollution at a reduced level; however, he overlooks what may be causing air pollution in the first place. Is it generated by petrochemical industry which can be regulated, like it has in Kuwait? Or, is it from agricultural practices that aren't well regulated?
ReplyDeleteThe Quartz article also takes liberty with the study's conclusions. The journal article mainly concludes that the NO2 monitoring from space is an effective way to track short term air pollution trends that may be linked to human or economic activity (ie wars, economic downturns, etc). The Quartz article not only definitively links a decrease in air pollution to mass migration, which is not the primary focus of the journal article, but also claims that such a decrease is a 'good' effect of war. This claim is outside any conclusion made in the journal article and also seems counter intuitive. Is a decrease in air pollution really that good if the people who would be impacted by it have left? Is there a corresponding increase in air pollution where migration has increased?
ReplyDeleteThe Quartz article could have gone into a little bit more detail of why nitrogen dioxide is bad in terms of its interaction with hydrocarbons to create smog in cities. Sometimes people read articles like this and question why certain chemicals are considered a problem. Going into detail would allay those concerns.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting topic and not an issue that I would have thought about. I believe this article is less scientifically based and more focused on politics and sensationalizing an interesting fact. I also agree that there is not enough evidence in the Quartz article to properly present the scientific data but it brings up an interesting point about air pollution.
ReplyDelete