Air pollution assessments in 30 Türkiye's metropolitan cities and Zonguldak in a global pandemic: Case study for before and during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions

The aim of this master's thesis is; (i) to examine the annual changes of main air pollutant parameters (NOx, O3, PM10, SO2) in 30 metropolitan cities of Türkiye and Zonguldak in 3 years period (March 2019- March 2022) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) to determine the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on air pollution due to the pandemic. In this thesis, statistical evaluations (Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, Percent Change) and (GIS)/ArcGIS- Reverse Distance Weighted Interpolation Method) were used. In this thesis study conducted with the data of 120 air quality measurement stations, a decreasing trend was observed in PM10 and SO2 concentrations. In the study, which is based on the air pollution assessment of 31 cities of Türkiye in the intercontinental location before and during COVID-19, suggestions were also made to take additional measures to improve air quality, considering urban pollutants.