The Role of Primary Emission and Transboundary Transport in the Air Quality Changes During and After the COVID-19 Lockdown in China

Abstract

In late January 2020, China’s rapid and strict control measures to curb the COVID-19 spread led to a sharp halt in socio-economic activity and a significant reduction in emissions. Using the ground-based observational data, the authors synergistically quantify the nation-wide variations of major air pollutant as well as meteorology during and after the lockdown. Their concentrations (except O3) exhibited significant reduction during February and March 2020, by more than 24% during the lockdown compared with the earlier time period and by more than 17% compared with that in the same period in 2019. In contrast, ozone increased rapidly by about 60% across the country during the lockdown. Abnormal increases in carbon monoxide and particulate matter concentrations in southwest China are attributed to the severe wildfires in Southeast Asia. The concentration of air pollutants bounced back rapidly after the full-scale reopen in March 2020, indicating the decisive role of emissions in the pollution formation.