The idea here is to study several environmental variables at different locations representing regions that are affected by the current situation in different ways. The three sites selected for the analysis are: 

 i) Musaffah Port, home to a 53 km Musaffah Channel, which is the second longest channel in the region, after the Suez Canal,

ii) Dalma Island located approximately 42 km off the coast of Abu Dhabi, and

iii) Sir Bani Yas Island, part of the Al Gharbia region in the UAE and close to the mainland coast where some anthropogenic  activities are present.

Musaffah Port area constitutes a large urban agglomeration with high industrial activity and considerable anthropogenic  contribution to the water turbidity along the coast. Dalma Island is a remote location with very limited industrial and human activity and the current situation is expected to have no major changes in the environment there. Sir Bani Yas Island represents a region with medium level human activity and no significant change is expected. 

By studying the coastal environments and associated variable patters at these sites, it is expected to provide some insights into the effect of the pandemic COVID-19 and associated societal responses (i.e. social distancing recommendations and related restrictions) in the marine and coastal environment of Abu Dhabi. Moreover,  atmospheric variables including aerosols and other atmospheric constituents are also studied to look at the trends of anthropogenic activity. The datasets provide an insight into the natural patterns of these variables and the possible contribution to the changes in the marine and coastal environment.