Abstract
The COVID-19 virus was first detected in Wuhan, China and its genesis
was traced to infected bats, passed through an intermediate host to
humans. COVID-19 or “Coronavirus” reached approximately 4 million
confirmed cases in the United States by July 2020. The spread of this
virus has affected both social and economic affairs on a global scale
with more than 15 million confirmed cases worldwide in July 2020. The
pandemic has proven a global public health and socio-economic crisis. In
addition, the shelter-in-place orders provide an unprecedented
opportunity for examining the resulting reduction in greenhouse gases
and aerosols on the atmosphere. The Sentinel-5P satellite has shown
distinct changes in atmospheric aerosols over the COVID-19 epicenter in
Wuhan. After Texas, U.S. established similar shelter-in-place orders to
prevent the spread of the virus, the state’s industrial activity
experienced an economic slowdown. This paper quantifies the changes in
atmospheric aerosols associated with the COVID-19 slowdown over major
cities in Texas and compares it to similar changes in Wuhan, China using
satellite imagery.