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A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (12 November 2021) | Viewed by 72478

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gunnar W. Schade

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Guest Editor

Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, TX 77843, USA
Interests: biosphere-atmosphere interactions; energy and trace gas fluxes; boundary layer meteorology; climate change impacts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Nicole Mölders

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Guest Editor

Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
Interests: human and natural impacts on weather, air quality and climate; land-cover/use impacts on cloud and precipitation formation; pollution in remote locations, wind energy; evaluation of air-quality model results
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Daniele Contini

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Guest Editor

Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC), National Research Council (CNR), Str. Prv. Lecce-Monteroni km 1.2, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: atmosphere composition; aerosol sources; health-related effects of aerosols; receptor models; turbulent fluxes; particle deposition; nucleation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Gabriele Curci

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Guest Editor

Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, 67010 Coppito, L’Aquila, Italy
Interests: regional tropospheric chemistry and air quality; global and regional modeling of atmospheric aerosols and their radiative effects; aerosol-cloud interactions; intercontinental transport of trace gases and aerosols; aerosol optical properties and mixing state; aerosol remote sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Francesca Costabile

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Guest Editor

Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
Interests: air quality; atmospheric aerosol; health effects; characterization of ultrafine particles; combustion generated aerosol and urban areas; black carbon and carbonaceous aerosol, and relevant toxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Prashant Kumar

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Guest Editor

Global Center for Clean Air Research (GCARE), School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK
Interests: urban air quality; airborne nano/ultrafine particles; aerosols; wind engineering; city, megacities and health; exposure assessment, modelling and inequalities; indoor air quality; energy-pollution nexus; airborne nanoparticles and nanomaterials; transport emission and modelling; air pollution dispersion modelling; technological pollution control and environmental policies; green infrastructure interventions and health mapping
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Chris G. Tzanis

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Guest Editor

Section of Environmental Physics and Meteorology, Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, 157 84 Athens, Greece
Interests: climate dynamics; climate physics; climate change and variability; aerosols; ambient air quality; ozone-climate interactions; atmospheric physics and chemistry; nonlinear processes; artificial intelligence and machine learning; remote sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In a world of over 7 billion people, most of them living in urban areas, the unprecedented shutdown of much of social and economic activity to address the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a reduction of pollutant emissions that is similarly unprecedented and rapid. Air pollution around the world has been reduced so significantly as to become clearly visible from space. Satellite data on NO₂columns were circulated quickly, as were photographic documentations of increased visibility conditions due to lower particulate matter concentrations. However, emissions reductions have likely neither been uniform, nor extended to a majority of all air pollutants. Mobile sector emissions of NO_x and other pollutants have been the most commonly reduced, making this a unique experiment of observing the urban atmosphere and its chemistry under conditions not expected for another few decades. The continued operation of satellite instruments, and of surface air quality measurement networks in numerous countries and cities around the world during the pandemic provides a rich data set of the ongoing effects of
this reduction on air quality, and we encourage scientists to analyze these data in detail, and submit their manuscripts for publication in this Special Issue.

Dr. Gunnar W. Schade
Prof. Dr. Nicole Mölders
Dr. Daniele Contini
Dr. Gabriele Curci
Dr. Francesca Costabile
Prof. Dr. Prashant Kumar
Dr. Chris G. Tzanis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Related Special Issue

Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality (2nd Volume) in Atmosphere (2 articles)

Published Papers (20 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 15854 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Air Quality of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo: Analysis Based on Satellite Data, Monitoring Stations and Records of Annual Average Daily Traffic Volumes on the Main Access Roads to the City

Pedro José Pérez-Martínez

and

Atmosphere 2022, 13(1), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13010052 - 29 Dec 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1653

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the air quality of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP). The effects of social distancing are still recent in the society; however, it was possible to observe patterns of environmental changes in places that had adhered transportation measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Thus, from the analysis of the traffic volumes made on some of the main access highways to the MRSP, as well as the monitoring of the levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), directly linked to atmospheric emissions from motor vehicles–which make up about 95% of air polluting agents in the region in different locations–we showed relationships between the improvement in air quality and the decrease in vehicles that access the MRSP. To improve the data analysis, therefore, the isolation index parameter was evaluated to provide daily information on the percentage of citizens in each municipality of the state that was effectively practicing social distancing. The intersection of these groups of data determined that the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the volume of vehicles on the highways by up to 50% of what it was in 2019, with the subsequent recovery of the traffic volume, even surpassing the values from the baseline year. Thus, the isolation index showed a decline of up to 20% between its implementation in March 2020 and December 2020. These data and the way they varied during 2020 allowed to observe an improvement of up to 50% in analyzed periods of the pollutants PM_2.5, CO and NO₂ in the MRSP. The main contribution of this study, alongside the synergistic use of data from different sources, was to perform traffic flow analysis separately for light and heavy duty vehicles (LDVs and HDVs). The relationships between traffic volume patterns and COVID-19 pollution were analyzed based on time series. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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15 pages, 3705 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Screening Approach for Short-Term PM_2.5 Health Co-Benefits: A Case Study from 15 Metropolitan Cities around the World during the COVID-19 Pandemic

and

Atmosphere 2022, 13(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13010018 - 23 Dec 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3000

Abstract

Fifteen cities across the world have been selected to investigate the public health co-benefits of PM_2.5 reduction, during a period when various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were adopted in the COVID-19 pandemic. Through applying a public health model, AirQ+, substantial spatial variations of global public health co-benefits were identified. Differences in seasonal air quality and population baselines were key underlying factors. For cities in North America, NPIs were introduced during the low pollution season, generating no co-benefits. On the other hand, tremendous health co-benefits were observed for cities in India and China, due to the high PM_2.5 background with a large population. Among all, New Delhi has received the largest co-benefits, which saved over 14,700 premature deaths. As the pollution level (i.e., 45 μg m⁻³) with NPIs still exceeded the air quality standard, more rigorous emission controls are urgently needed to protect the public′s health in India. At last, a novel and practical tool for co-benefit screening was developed using data from one of the global measurement networks (i.e., IQAir). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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Figure 1

13 pages, 16708 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Implications of COVID-19 Restriction Measures in Urban Air Quality of Thessaloniki, Greece: A Machine Learning Approach

Dimitris Akritidis

Prodromos Zanis

Aristeidis K. Georgoulias

Eleni Papakosta

Paraskevi Tzoumaka

and

Apostolos Kelessis

Atmosphere 2021, 12(11), 1500; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12111500 - 14 Nov 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2120

Abstract

Following the rapid spread of COVID-19, a lockdown was imposed in Thessaloniki, Greece, resulting in an abrupt reduction of human activities. To unravel the impact of restrictions on the urban air quality of Thessaloniki, NO

_{2}

and O

_{3}

observations are compared against [...] Read more.

_{2}

and O

_{3}

observations are compared against the business-as-usual (BAU) concentrations for the lockdown period. BAU conditions are modeled, applying the XGBoost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) machine learning algorithm on air quality and meteorological surface measurements, and reanalysis data. A reduction in NO

_{2}

concentrations is found during the lockdown period due to the restriction policies at both AGSOFIA and EGNATIA stations of −24.9 [−26.6, −23.2]% and −18.4 [−19.6, −17.1]%, respectively. A reverse effect is revealed for O

_{3}

concentrations at AGSOFIA with an increase of 12.7 [10.8, 14.8]%, reflecting the reduced O

_{3}

titration by NO

_{x}

. The implications of COVID-19 lockdowns in the urban air quality of Thessaloniki are in line with the results of several recent studies for other urban areas around the world, highlighting the necessity of more sophisticated emission control strategies for urban air quality management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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14 pages, 3611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Large-Scale Social Restriction Phases on the Air Quality Index in Jakarta

and

Anzaludin Samsinga Perbangsa

Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 922; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12070922 - 17 Jul 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2870

Abstract

We reported the result of our study on the impact of Large-Scale Social Restriction (LSSR) phases due to the COVID-19 outbreak on the air quality in Jakarta. Specifically, this study covered the change of Air Quality Index (AQI) based on five pollutants, PM [...] Read more.

_{10}

, SO

_{2}

, CO, O

_{3}

, and NO

_{2}

, contained in Jakarta’s air before and during LSSR. The AQI data were provided by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia, from January 2019 to December 2020 at five different locations in Jakarta, with missing data for March and September 2020 due to unknown reasons. These data were grouped into the period before the LSSR from January 2019 to February 2020 and the period during LSSR from April 2020 to December 2020. In order to measure the change in the air quality of Jakarta before and during LSSR, we ran a chi-squared test to the AQI for each location and LSSR phase as well as paired one-sided t-test for the seasonal trend. The result of this study showed that, in general, LSSR improved the air quality of Jakarta. The improvement was mainly contributed by reduced transportation activities that were induced by LSSR. Further analysis on the seasonal pollutants trend showed a variation of AQI improvement in each phase due to their unique characteristics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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18 pages, 4605 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantifying the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions on CO, CO₂, and CH₄ in Downtown Toronto Using Open-Path Fourier Transform Spectroscopy

Yuan You

Brendan Byrne

Orfeo Colebatch

Richard L. Mittermeier

Felix Vogel

and

Kimberly Strong

Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 848; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12070848 - 30 Jun 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2448

Abstract

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, anthropogenic emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs), especially traffic emissions in urban areas, have declined. Long-term measurements of trace gas concentrations in urban areas can be used to quantify the impact of emission reductions on GHG mole fractions. Open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) spectroscopy is a non-intrusive technique that can be used to simultaneously measure multiple atmospheric trace gases in the boundary layer. This study investigates the reduction of mole fractions and mole fraction enhancements above background for surface CO, CO

_{2}

, and CH

_{4}

in downtown Toronto, Canada (the fourth largest city in North America) during the 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 stay-at-home periods. Mean values obtained from these periods were compared with mean values from a reference period prior to the 2020 restrictions. Mean CO mole fraction enhancement declined by 51 ± 23% and 42 ± 24% during the 2020 and 2021 stay-at-home periods, respectively. The mean afternoon CO

_{2}

mole fraction enhancement declined by 3.9 ± 2.6 ppm (36 ± 24%) and 3.5 ± 2.8 ppm (33 ± 26%) during the stay-at-home periods in 2020 and 2021. In contrast, CH

_{4}

mole fraction enhancement did not show any significant decrease. Diurnal variation in CO during the stay-at-home period in 2020 was also significantly reduced relative to the reference period in 2020. These reductions in trace gas mole fraction enhancements coincide with the decline of local traffic during the stay-at-home periods, with an estimated reduction in CO and CO

_{2}

enhancements of 0.74 ± 0.15 ppb and 0.18 ± 0.05 ppm per percentage decrease in traffic, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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22 pages, 11392 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Air Pollution Observations in Selected Locations in Poland during the Lockdown Related to COVID-19

Mariusz Rogulski

and

Artur Badyda

Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 806; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12070806 - 23 Jun 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 10101

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused huge changes in people’s daily habits and had a significant impact on the economy. The lockdowns significantly reduced road traffic and meant that many people worked remotely. Therefore, the question arose as to how the reduced road traffic and stays of residents at home affected the degree of pollution and the structure of major air pollutants. To answer this question, the article presents an analysis of changes in typical air pollutants (PM₁₀, PM_2.5, NO₂) in the five largest Polish cities and one of the voivodships. The data from the Polish State Environmental Monitoring were used for the analysis. The analysis showed that the period of the first lockdown in Poland (April 2020), despite the reduced road traffic, resulted in a significant increase in PM₁₀ emissions (9–91% during working days and an average of 30% on Saturdays and Sundays), a slight increase in PM_2.5 emissions (on average from 2% to 11% for all analyzed locations), and a reduction in NO₂ emissions (on average from 6% to 11% for all analyzed locations) compared to the period before the lockdown. However, the changes were not homogeneous—in Łódź and Warsaw, in most cases, an increase in all analyzed pollutants was observed, and the greatest decrease in pollution took place in Małopolska voivodship (including Kraków). Comparing the data from April 2020 to the data from April 2019, the overall difference in the PMs concentrations was small, although there are places where there has been a significant decrease (Wrocław, Poznań), and there were also places where the concentration increased (Warsaw, Łódź, Małopolska). In the case of nitrogen dioxide, pollution concentration decreased in most locations. The only exception was the background stations in Warsaw, where the increase was 27%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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22 pages, 3208 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Early Spread of COVID-19 in the Air-Polluted Regions of Eight Severely Affected Countries

Riccardo Pansini

and

Davide Fornacca

Atmosphere 2021, 12(6), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12060795 - 21 Jun 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4008

Abstract

COVID-19 escalated into a pandemic posing several humanitarian as well as scientific challenges. We here investigated the geographical character of the early spread of the infection and correlated it with several annual satellite and ground indexes of air quality in China, the United States, Italy, Iran, France, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The time of the analysis corresponded with the end of the first wave infection in China, namely June 2020. We found more viral infections in those areas afflicted by high PM 2.5 and nitrogen dioxide values. Higher mortality was also correlated with relatively poor air quality. In Italy, the correspondence between the Po Valley pollution and SARS-CoV-2 infections and induced mortality was the starkest, originating right in the most polluted European area. Spain and Germany did not present a noticeable gradient of pollution levels causing non-significant correlations. Densely populated areas were often hotspots of lower air quality levels but were not always correlated with a higher viral incidence. Air pollution has long been recognised as a high risk factor for several respiratory-related diseases and conditions, and it now appears to be a risk factor for COVID-19 as well. As such, air pollution should always be included as a factor for the study of airborne epidemics and further included in public health policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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20 pages, 7934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Local Analysis of Air Quality Changes in the Community of Madrid before and during the COVID-19 Induced Lockdown

Manuel Alejandro Betancourt-Odio

Carlos Martínez-de-Ibarreta

Santiago Budría-Rodríguez

and

Eszter Wirth

Atmosphere 2021, 12(6), 659; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12060659 - 21 May 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2164

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of the COVID-19 induced lockdown upon six pollutants, CO, NO, NO₂, PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and O₃, in the Spanish community of Madrid. The paper relies on clustering methods and multiple regression techniques to control for a battery of potential confounding factors. The results show that the nationwide lockdown, decreed on 13 March by the Spanish government, exerted a statistically significant effect upon most pollution indicators. The estimates range from approximately −82% (NO and NO₂) to −3% (CO). Reversely, the COVID-19 induced lockdown raised O₃ levels by an average of 20%. By using data from 43 stations spread out among the region, the paper provides a local level analysis. This analysis reveals substantial differences across areas and across pollutants. This observation indicates that any successful approach to improve air quality in the region must be multidimensional. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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14 pages, 3148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Air Quality in Southeast Brazil during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Combined Satellite and Ground-Based Data Analysis

Rayssa Brandao

and

Hosein Foroutan

Atmosphere 2021, 12(5), 583; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12050583 - 01 May 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2438

Abstract

With the current COVID-19 pandemic being spread all over the world, lockdown measures are being implemented, making air pollution levels go down in several countries. In this context, the air quality changes in the highly populated and trafficked Brazilian states of São Paulo (SP) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ) were addressed using a combination of satellite and ground-based daily data analysis. We explored nitrogen dioxide (NO

_{2}

) and fine particulate matter (PM

_{2.5}

) daily levels for the month of May from 2015–2020. Daily measurements of NO

_{2}

column concentrations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard NASA’s Aura satellite were analyzed and decreases of 42% and 49.6% were found for SP and RJ, respectively, during the year 2020 compared to the 2015–2019 average. Besides NO

_{2}

column retrievals, ground-based data measured by the Brazilian States Environmental Institutions were analyzed and correlated with satellite retrievals. Correlation coefficients between year-to-year changes in satellite column and ground-based concentrations were 77% and 53% in SP and RJ, respectively. Ground-based data showed 13.3% and 18.8% decrease in NO

_{2}

levels for SP and RJ, respectively, in 2020 compared to 2019. In SP, no significant change in PM

_{2.5}

was observed in 2020 compared to 2019. To further isolate the effect of emissions reduction due to the lockdown, meteorological data and number of wildfire hotspots were analyzed. NO

_{2}

concentrations showed negative and positive correlations with wind speed and temperature, respectively. PM

_{2.5}

concentration distributions suggested an influence by the wildfires in the southeast region of the country. Synergistic analyses of satellite retrievals, surface level concentrations, and weather data provide a more complete picture of changes to pollutant levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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15 pages, 1997 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evolution of Gaseous and Particulate Pollutants in the Air: What Changed after Five Lockdown Weeks at a Southwest Atlantic European Region (Northwest of Spain) Due to the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic?

Jorge Moreda-Piñeiro

Joel Sánchez-Piñero

María Fernández-Amado

Paula Costa-Tomé

Nuria Gallego-Fernández

María Piñeiro-Iglesias

Purificación López-Mahía

and

Soledad Muniategui-Lorenzo

Atmosphere 2021, 12(5), 562; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12050562 - 27 Apr 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2013

Abstract

Due to the exponential growth of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Spain (2020), the Spanish Government adopted lockdown measures as mitigating strategies to reduce the spread of the pandemic from 14 March. In this paper, we report the results of the change in air quality at two Atlantic Coastal European cities (Northwest Spain) during five lockdown weeks. The temporal evolution of gaseous (nitrogen oxides, comprising NO_x, NO, and NO₂; sulfur dioxide, SO₂; carbon monoxide, CO; and ozone, O₃) and particulate matter (PM₁₀; PM_2.5; and equivalent black carbon, eBC) pollutants were recorded before (7 February to 13 March 2020) and during the first five lockdown weeks (14 March to 20 April 2020) at seven air quality monitoring stations (urban background, traffic, and industrial) in the cities of A Coruña and Vigo. The influences of the backward trajectories and meteorological parameters on air pollutant concentrations were considered during the studied period. The temporal trends indicate that the concentrations of almost all species steadily decreased during the lockdown period with statistical significance, with respect to the pre-lockdown period. In this context, great reductions were observed for pollutants related mainly to fossil fuel combustion, road traffic, and shipping emissions (−38 to −78% for NO, −22 to −69% for NO₂, −26 to −75% for NO_x, −3 to −77% for SO₂, −21% for CO, −25 to −49% for PM₁₀, −10 to −38% for PM_2.5, and −29 to −51% for eBC). Conversely, O₃ concentrations increased from +5 to +16%. Finally, pollutant concentration data for 14 March to 20 April of 2020 were compared with those of the previous two years. The results show that the overall air pollutants levels were higher during 2018–2019 than during the lockdown period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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17 pages, 7181 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of COVID-Induced Mobility Restrictions and Weather Conditions on Air Quality in Hungary

Adrienn Varga-Balogh

Ádám Leelőssy

and

Róbert Mészáros

Atmosphere 2021, 12(5), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12050561 - 27 Apr 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1936

Abstract

Similarly to other countries, the first wave of the COVID pandemic induced a collapse of mobility in Hungary during the spring of 2020. From the environmental perspective, the obtained road traffic reduction of 20–50% could be regarded as an undesired traffic regulation experiment. Air quality impacts within Hungary were evaluated based on data from 52 monitoring sites measuring concentrations of pollutants NO_x, O_3, and PM₁₀. Air pollution during the lockdown was compared to the same period (February–June) in the reference years 2014–2019. The large spatial heterogeneity of the air quality response was explored. The emission reduction coincided with the extreme weather of 2020, characterized by unusually warm pre-lockdown February and spring drought. The anomalously low pre-lockdown air pollution was further reduced (NO_x) or increased (PM₁₀) during the restrictions. Compared to the previous years, NO_x concentrations during the curfew were found to differ between −4.1 and +0.2 standard deviations (median −1.55 SD), or −45% and +3% (median −18%) among different monitoring locations. Ozone concentrations were unusually high due to both weather and chemical reasons (median +11% or +0.8 SD), while the PM₁₀ response was modest and largely weather-driven (median +7% or +0.4 SD). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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Graphical abstract

13 pages, 4923 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown on Atmospheric Nanoparticle Concentrations in Two Sites of Southern Italy

and

Atmosphere 2021, 12(3), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12030352 - 08 Mar 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2442

Abstract

During the new coronavirus infection outbreak, the application of strict containment measures entailed a decrease in most human activities, with the consequent reduction of anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere. In this study, the impact of lockdown on atmospheric particle number concentrations and size distributions is investigated in two different sites of Southern Italy: Lecce and Lamezia Terme, regional stations of the GAW/ACTRIS networks. The effects of restrictions are quantified by comparing submicron particle concentrations, in the size range from 10 nm to 800 nm, measured during the lockdown period and in the same period of previous years, from 2015 to 2019, considering three time intervals: prelockdown, lockdown and postlockdown. Different percentage reductions in total particle number concentrations are observed, −19% and −23% in Lecce and −7% and −4% in Lamezia Terme during lockdown and postlockdown, respectively, with several variations in each subclass of particles. From the comparison, no significant variations of meteorological factors are observed except a reduction of rainfall in 2020, which might explain the higher levels of particle concentrations measured during prelockdown at both stations. In general, the results demonstrate an improvement of air quality, more conspicuous in Lecce than in Lamezia Terme, during the lockdown, with a differed reduction in the concentration of submicronic particles that depends on the different types of sources, their distance from observational sites and local meteorology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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20 pages, 4929 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Regional Scale Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Air Quality: Gaseous Pollutants in the Po Valley, Northern Italy

Giovanni Lonati

and

Federico Riva

Atmosphere 2021, 12(2), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020264 - 17 Feb 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3556

Abstract

The impact of the reduced atmospheric emissions due to the COVID-19 lockdown on ambient air quality in the Po Valley of Northern Italy was assessed for gaseous pollutants (NO₂, benzene, ammonia) based on data collected at the monitoring stations distributed all over the area. Concentration data for each month of the first semester of 2020 were compared with those of the previous six years, on monthly, daily, and hourly bases, so that pre, during, and post-lockdown conditions of air quality could be separately analyzed. The results show that, as in many other areas worldwide, the Po Valley experienced better air quality during 2020 spring months for NO₂ and benzene. In agreement with the reductions of nitrogen oxides and benzene emissions from road traffic, estimated to be −35% compared to the regional average, the monthly mean concentration levels for 2020 showed reductions in the −40% to −35% range compared with the previous years, but with higher reductions, close to −50%, at high-volume-traffic sites in urban areas. Conversely, NH₃ ambient concentration levels, almost entirely due the emissions of the agricultural sector, did not show any relevant change, even at high-volume-traffic sites in urban areas. These results point out the important role of traffic emissions in NO₂ and benzene ambient levels in the Po Valley, and confirm that this region is a rather homogeneous air basin with urban area hot-spots, the contributions of which add up to a relatively high regional background concentration level. Additionally, the relatively slow response of the air quality levels to the sudden decrease of the emissions due to the lockdown shows that this region is characterized by a weak exchange of the air masses that favors both the build-up of atmospheric pollutants and the development of secondary formation processes. Thus, air quality control strategies should aim for structural interventions intended to reduce traffic emissions at the regional scale and not only in the largest urban areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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24 pages, 8860 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the COVID-19 Lockdown Effects on Spectral Aerosol Scattering and Absorption Properties in Athens, Greece

Dimitris G. Kaskaoutis

Panayiotis Kalkavouras

Pavlos Zarmpas

Umesh Chandra Dumka

Evangelos Gerasopoulos

and

Nikolaos Mihalopoulos

Atmosphere 2021, 12(2), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020231 - 08 Feb 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3378

Abstract

COVID-19 is evolving into one of the worst pandemics in recent history, claiming a death toll of over 1.5 million as of December 2020. In an attempt to limit the expansion of the pandemic in its initial phase, nearly all countries imposed restriction measures, which resulted in an unprecedented reduction of air pollution. This study aims to assess the impact of the lockdown effects due to COVID-19 on in situ measured aerosol properties, namely spectral-scattering (b_sca) and absorption (b_abs) coefficients, black carbon (BC) concentrations, single-scattering albedo (SSA), scattering and absorption Ångström exponents (SAE, AAE) in Athens, Greece. Moreover, a comparison is performed with the regional background site of Finokalia, Crete, for a better assessment of the urban impact on observed differences. The study examines pre-lockdown (1–22 March 2020), lockdown (23 March–3 May 2020) and post-lockdown (4–31 May 2020) periods, while the aerosol properties are also compared with a 3–4 year preceding period (2016/2017–2019). Comparison of meteorological parameters in Athens, between the lockdown period and respective days in previous years, showed only marginal variation, which is not deemed sufficient in order to justify the notable changes in aerosol concentrations and optical properties. The largest reduction during the lockdown period was observed for b_abs compared to the pre-lockdown (−39%) and to the same period in previous years (−36%). This was intensified during the morning traffic hours (−60%), reflecting the large decrease in vehicular emissions. Furthermore, AAE increased during the lockdown period due to reduced emissions from fossil-fuel combustion, while a smaller (−21%) decrease was observed for b_sca along with slight increases (6%) in SAE and SSA values, indicating that scattering aerosol properties were less affected by the decrease in vehicular emissions, as they are more dependent on regional sources and atmospheric processing. Nighttime BC emissions related to residential wood-burning were slightly increased during the lockdown period, with respect to previous-year means. On the contrary, aerosol and pollution changes during the lockdown period at Finokalia were low and highly sensitive to natural sources and processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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18 pages, 5306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis on the Characteristics of Air Pollution in China during the COVID-19 Outbreak

and

Atmosphere 2021, 12(2), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020205 - 03 Feb 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4087

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious global threat to human health. In China, the government immediately implemented lockdown measures to curb the spread of this virus. These measures severely affected transportation and industrial production across the country, resulting in a significant change in the concentration of air pollutants. In this study, the Euclidean distance method was used to select the most similar meteorological field during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Changes in the concentration of air pollutants in China were analyzed under similar meteorological background conditions. Results indicate that, compared with data from 2015–2019, air quality in China significantly improved; with the exception of ozone (O₃), the concentration of major air pollutants declined. Compared with baseline conditions, the reduction of air pollutants in China from 25 January to 22 February 2020 (Period 2) was the most significant. In particular, NO₂ decreased by 41.7% in the Yangtze River Delta. In Period 2, the reduction of air pollutants in areas other than Hubei gradually decreased, but the reduction of NO₂ in Wuhan reached 61.92%, and the reduction of air pollutants in various regions after February 23 was significantly reduced. By excluding the influence of meteorological factors and calculating the contribution of human activities to atmospheric pollutants by linear fitting, in Period 2 the effect of artificial controls on NO₂ in Wuhan attained 30.66%, and reached 48.17% from 23 February to 23 March (Period 3). Results from this investigation provides effective theoretical support for pollution prevention and control in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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18 pages, 10233 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling the Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Mobility and NO₂ Concentration in the Lombardy Region

Giuseppe Maurizio Riva

and

Anna Maria Toppetti

Atmosphere 2020, 11(12), 1319; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11121319 - 05 Dec 2020

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3258

Abstract

Recent observation and modeling-based studies have shown how air quality has been positively affected by the containment measures enforced due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This work aims to analyze Lombardy’s NO₂ atmospheric concentration during the spring lockdown. The region of Lombardy is known for having the largest number of residents in Italy and high levels of pollution. It is also the region where the first European confinement measures were imposed by the Italian government. The modeling suite composed of CAMx (Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions) and WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting model) provides the setting to compare the atmospheric NO₂ concentration from mid-February to the end of March with a business as usual situation. The main interest in this work is to investigate the response of NO₂ atmospheric concentration to increasingly reduced road traffic. We can simulate, for the first time, a real circumstance of progressively reduced mobility, as well as validating it with measured air quality data. Focusing on the city of Milan, we found that the decrease in NO₂ concentration reflects progressively reduced traffic contraction. In the case of a large traffic abatement (71%), the concentration level is reduced by one third. We also find that industrial activities have a relevant impact on NO₂ atmospheric concentration, especially in the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo. This study provides an overview of how incisive policies must be implemented to achieve the set environmental targets and protect human health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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21 pages, 2613 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Integrating in situ Measurements and City Scale Modelling to Assess the COVID–19 Lockdown Effects on Emissions and Air Quality in Athens, Greece

Panayiotis Kalkavouras

Aikaterini Bougiatioti

Dimitris G. Kaskaoutis

Michel Ramonet

Nikolaos Mihalopoulos

and

Evangelos Gerasopoulos

Atmosphere 2020, 11(11), 1174; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11111174 - 30 Oct 2020

Cited by 45 | Viewed by 5540

Abstract

The lockdown measures implemented worldwide to slow the spread of the COVID–19 pandemic have allowed for a unique real-world experiment, regarding the impacts of drastic emission cutbacks on urban air quality. In this study we assess the effects of a 7-week (23 March–10 May 2020) lockdown in the Greater Area of Athens, coupling in situ observations with estimations from a meteorology-atmospheric chemistry model. Measurements in central Athens during the lockdown were compared with levels during the pre- and post-lockdown 3-week periods and with respective levels in the four previous years. We examined regulatory pollutants as well as CO₂, black carbon (BC) and source-specific BC components. Models were run for pre-lockdown and lockdown periods, under baseline and reduced-emissions scenarios. The in-situ results indicate mean concentration reductions of 30–35% for traffic-related pollutants in Athens (NO₂, CO, BC from fossil fuel combustion), compared to the pre-lockdown period. A large reduction (53%) was observed also for the urban CO₂ enhancement while the reduction for PM_2.5 was subtler (18%). Significant reductions were also observed when comparing the 2020 lockdown period with past years. However, levels rebounded immediately following the lift of the general lockdown. The decrease in measured NO₂ concentrations was reproduced by the implementation of the city scale model, under a realistic reduced-emissions scenario for the lockdown period, anchored at a 46% decline of road transport activity. The model permitted the assessment of air quality improvements on a spatial scale, indicating that NO₂ mean concentration reductions in areas of the Athens basin reached up to 50%. The findings suggest a potential for local traffic management strategies to reduce ambient exposure and to minimize exceedances of air quality standards for primary pollutants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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23 pages, 7481 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spread of COVID-19, Meteorological Conditions and Air Quality in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina: Two Facets Observed during Its Pandemic Lockdown

Tomás R. Bolaño-Ortiz

Romina M. Pascual-Flores

S. Enrique Puliafito

Yiniva Camargo-Caicedo

and

Francisco Cereceda-Balic

Atmosphere 2020, 11(10), 1045; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11101045 - 30 Sep 2020

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 4564

Abstract

This work studied the spread of COVID-19, the meteorological conditions and the air quality in a megacity from two viewpoints: (1) the correlation between meteorological and air quality (PM₁₀ and NO₂) variables with infections and deaths due COVID-19, and (2) the improvement in air quality. Both analyses were performed for the pandemic lockdown due to COVID-19 in the City of Buenos Aires (CABA), the capital and the largest city in Argentina. Daily data from temperature, rainfall, average relative humidity, wind speed, PM₁₀, NO₂, new cases and deaths due COVID-19 were analyzed. Our findings showed a significant correlation of meteorological and air quality variables with COVID-19 cases. The highest temperature correlation occurred before the confirmation day of new cases. PM₁₀ presented the highest correlation within 13 to 15 days lag, while NO₂ within 3 to 6 days lag. Also, reductions in PM₁₀ and NO₂ were observed. This study shows that exposure to air pollution was significantly correlated with an increased risk of becoming infected and dying due to COVID-19. Thus, these results show that the NO₂ and PM₁₀ levels in CABA can serve as one of the indicators to assess vulnerability to COVID-19. In addition, decision-makers can use this information to adopt strategies to restrict human mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks of similar diseases in CABA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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21 pages, 5333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insights for Air Quality Management from Modeling and Record Studies in Cuenca, Ecuador

René Parra

and

Claudia Espinoza

Atmosphere 2020, 11(9), 998; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090998 - 18 Sep 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2981

Abstract

On-road traffic is the primary source of air pollutants in Cuenca (2500 m. a.s.l.), an Andean city in Ecuador. Most of the buses in the country run on diesel, emitting high amounts of NO_x (NO + NO₂) and PM_2.5, among other air pollutants. Currently, an electric tram system is beginning to operate in this city, accompanied by new routes for urban buses, changing the spatial distribution of the city’s emissions, and alleviating the impact in the historic center. The Ecuadorian energy efficiency law requires that all vehicles incorporated into the public transportation system must be electric by 2025. As an early and preliminary assessment of the impact of this shift, we simulated the air quality during two scenarios: (1) A reference scenario corresponding to buses running on diesel (DB) and (2) the future scenario with electric buses (EB). We used the Eulerian Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model for simulating the air quality during September, based on the last available emission inventory (year 2014). The difference in the results of the two scenarios (DB-EB) showed decreases in the daily maximum hourly NO₂ (between 0.8 to 16.4 µg m⁻³, median 7.1 µg m⁻³), and in the 24-h mean PM_2.5 (0.2 to 1.8 µg m⁻³, median 0.9 µg m⁻³) concentrations. However, the daily maximum 8-h mean ozone (O₃) increased (1.1 to 8.0 µg m⁻³, median 3.5 µg m⁻³). Apart from the primary air quality benefits acquired due to decreases in NO₂ and PM_2.5 levels, and owing to the volatile organic compounds (VOC)-limited regime for O₃ production in this city, modeling suggests that VOC controls should accompany future NO_x reduction for avoiding increases in O₃. Modeled tendencies of these pollutants when moving from the DB to EB scenario were consistent with the tendencies observed during the COVID-19 lockdown in this city, which is a unique reference for appreciating the potentiality and identifying insights for air quality improvements. This consistency supports the approach and results of this contribution, which provides early insights into the effects on air quality due to the recent operability of the electric tram and the future shift from diesel to electric buses in Cuenca. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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10 pages, 1235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insignificant Impact of the “Stay-At-Home” Order on Ambient Air Quality in the Memphis Metropolitan Area, U.S.A.

and

Atmosphere 2020, 11(6), 630; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11060630 - 14 Jun 2020

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4897

Abstract

The lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been reported to reduce ambient air pollution in many cities globally. This study aims to examine whether air pollution dropped in Memphis, a typical U.S. metropolitan city and transportation hub, during the lockdown from 25 March to 4 May, 2020. Daily air pollution data measured at five representative monitoring stations in the Memphis Metropolitan Area were downloaded from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System. The mean concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and ozone during the lockdown were compared with the baseline concentrations measured during the same periods in 2017–2019 using linear regression models. The average vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduced by 57% in this region during the lockdown compared to that during 1–24 March, 2020. The mean (± standard deviation) concentrations of PM_2.5, NO₂, and ozone were 7.5 ± 2.6 μg/m³, 16.5 ± 9.4 ppb, and 44.5 ± 8.4 ppb, respectively, during the lockdown. They did not statistically differ from the baseline concentrations, nor were they lower than the mean concentrations in the prior month (25 February–24 March, 2020), after accounting for meteorological conditions. The lack of effect could be explained by the small contribution of traffic emissions to air pollution. The results suggest that the “stay-at-home” order had an insignificant impact on reducing air pollution in Memphis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown Effects on Urban Air Quality)

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