Beyond the lockdowns: satellite observations of aerosol optical depth through 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic
Environmental Research Letters
; 17(7):074036, 2022.
Article
in English
| ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-1948111
ABSTRACT
Anticipated future reductions in aerosol emissions are expected to accelerate warming and substantially change precipitation characteristics. Therefore, it is vital to identify the existing patterns and possible future pathways of anthropogenic aerosol reductions. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted abrupt, global declines in transportation and industrial activities, providing opportunities to study the aerosol effects of pandemic-driven emissions changes. Here, measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) from two satellite instruments were used to characterize aerosol burdens throughout 2020 in four Northern Hemisphere source regions (Eastern & Central China, the United States, India, and Europe). In most regions, record-low measures of AOD persisted beyond the earliest ‘lockdown’ periods of the pandemic. Record-low values were most concentrated during the boreal spring and summer months, when 56% to 72% of sampled months showed record-low AOD values for their respective regions. However, in India and Eastern & Central China, the COVID-19 AOD signature was eclipsed by sources of natural variability (dust) and a multi-year trend, respectively. In the United States and Europe, a likely COVID-19 signal peaks in the summer of 2020, contributing as much as −.01 to −.03 AOD units to observed anomalies.
Environmental Studies; COVID-19; satellite observations; AOD; emissions; Pandemics; Optical thickness; Summer; Aerosols; Anthropogenic factors; Northern Hemisphere; Emission measurements; Industrial areas; Optical analysis; Satellite instruments; Satellite observation; Anomalies; Coronaviruses; United States--US; Europe; China; India
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
ProQuest Central
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
Environmental Research Letters
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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