ABSTRACT
The dramatic and sudden reduction in anthropogenic activity due to lockdown measures in the UK in response to the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in a concerted effort to estimate local and regional changes in air quality, though changes in underlying emissions remain uncertain. Here we combine satellite observations of tropospheric NO2 from TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument and the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS)-Chem 3D chemical transport model to estimate that NO x emissions declined nationwide by ∼20% during the lockdown (23 March to 31 May 2020). Regionally, these range from 22% to 23% in the western portion of the country to 29% in the southeast and Manchester, and >40% in London. We apply a uniform 20% lockdown period emission reduction to GEOS-Chem anthropogenic emissions over the UK to determine that decline in lockdown emissions led to a national decline in PM2.5 of 1.1 μg m−3, ranging from 0.6 μg m−3 in Scotland to 2 μg m−3 in the southwest. The decline in emissions in cities (>40%) is greater than the national average and causes an increase in ozone of ∼2 ppbv in London and Manchester. The change in ozone and PM2.5 concentrations due to emission reductions alone is about half the total change from 2019 to 2020. This emphasizes the need to account for emissions and other factors, in particular meteorology, in future air pollution abatement strategies and regulatory action.
ABSTRACT
We have estimated the spatial changes in NO2 levels over different regions of India during the COVID-19 lockdown (25 March–3 May 2020) using the satellite-based tropospheric column NO2 observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), as well as surface NO2 concentrations obtained from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) monitoring network. A substantial reduction in NO2 levels was observed across India during the lockdown compared to the same period during previous business-as-usual years, except for some regions that were influenced by anomalous fires in 2020. The reduction (negative change) over the urban agglomerations was substantial (∼ 20 %–40 %) and directly proportional to the urban size and population density. Rural regions across India also experienced lower NO2 values by ∼ 15 %–25 %. Localised enhancements in NO2 associated with isolated emission increase scattered across India were also detected. Observed percentage changes in satellite and surface observations were consistent across most regions and cities, but the surface observations were subject to larger variability depending on their proximity to the local emission sources. Observations also indicate NO2 enhancements of up to ∼ 25 % during the lockdown associated with fire emissions over the north-east of India and some parts of the central regions. In addition, the cities located near the large fire emission sources show much smaller NO2 reduction than other urban areas as the decrease at the surface was masked by enhancement in NO2 due to the transport of the fire emissions.