Contributions of Traffic and Industrial Emission Reductions to the Air Quality Improvement after the Lockdown of Wuhan and Neighboring Cities Due to COVID-19.

Wuhan was locked down from 23 January to 8 April 2020 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Both public and private transportation in Wuhan and its neighboring cities in Hubei Province were suspended or restricted, and the manufacturing industry was partially shut down. This study collected and investigated ground monitoring data to prove that the lockdowns of the cities had significant influences on the air quality in Wuhan. The WRF-CMAQ (Weather Research and Forecasting-Community Multiscale Air Quality) model was used to evaluate the emission reduction from transportation and industry sectors and associated air quality impact. The results indicate that the reduction in traffic emission was nearly 100% immediately after the lockdown between 23 January and 8 February and that the industrial emission tended to decrease by about 50% during the same period. The industrial emission further deceased after 9 February. Emission reduction from transportation and that from industry was not simultaneous. The results imply that the shutdown of industry contributed significantly more to the pollutant reduction than the restricted transportation.

[Impacts of Meteorology and Emission Variations on PM2.5 Concentration Throughout the Country During the 2020 Epidemic Period].

This study analyzed the impacts of meteorological conditions and changes in air pollutant emissions on PM2.5 across the country during the first quarter of 2020 based on the WRF-CMAQ model. Results showed that the variations in meteorological conditions led to a national PM2.5 concentration decreased of 1.7% from 2020-01 to 2020-03, whereas it increased by 1.6% in January and decreased by 1.3% and 7.9% in February and March, respectively. The reduction of pollutants emissions led to a decrease of 14.1% in national PM2.5 concentration during the first quarter of 2020 and a decrease of 4.0%, 25.7%, and 15.0% in January, February, and March, respectively. Compared to the same period last year, the PM2.5 concentration measured in Wuhan City decreased more than in the entire country. This was caused by improved meteorological conditions and a higher reduction of pollutant emissions in Wuhan City. PM2.5 in Beijing increased annually before the epidemic outbreak and during the strict control period, mainly due to unfavorable meteorological conditions. However, the decrease in PM2.5 in Beijing compared to March 2019 was closely related to the substantial reduction of emissions. The measured PM2.5 in the "2+26" cities, the Fenwei Plain and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) decreased during the first quarter of 2020, with the largest drop occurring in the Yangtze River Delta due to higher YRD emissions reductions. The meteorological conditions of "2+26" cities and Fenwei Plain were unfavorable before the epidemic outbreak and greatly improved during the strict control period, whereas the Yangtze River Delta had the most favorable meteorological conditions in March. The decrease in PM2.5 concentration caused by the reduction of pollutant emissions in the three key areas was highest during the strict control period.

NO x Emission Changes Over China During the COVID-19 Epidemic Inferred From Surface NO2 Observations.

The COVID-19 epidemic has substantially limited human activities and affected anthropogenic emissions. In this work, daily NO x emissions are inferred using a regional data assimilation system and hourly surface NO2 measurement over China. The results show that because of the coronavirus outbreak, NO x emissions across the whole mainland China dropped sharply after 31 January, began to rise slightly in certain areas after 10 February, and gradually recover across the country after 20 February. Compared with the emissions before the outbreak, NO x emissions fell by more than 60% and ~30% in many large cities and most small to medium cities, respectively. Overall, NO x emissions were reduced by 36% over China, which were mainly contributed by transportation. Evaluations show that the inverted changes over eastern China are credible, whereas those in western China might be underestimated. These findings are of great significance for exploring the reduction potential of NO x emissions in China.