Long-range air pollution transport in East Asia during the first week of the COVID-19 lockdown in China.

ABSTRACT: Long-range transport (LRT) of air pollutants from East Asia during the northeast monsoon season impacts several downwind locations. In 2020, the initial COVID-19 lockdowns in China overlapped with Week 3 of the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday, and an Asian outflow event. Thus, movement of the Chinese populace from city to city was already greatly reduced by the time of the LRT episode, although the reductions in industrial output are less clear. We found NO₂ column concentrations were reduced by 24% during the CNY Week 3 this year compared to previous years. The attenuated transport event arrived to northern Taiwan with a PM_2.5 concentration <45 μg m^-3 and most often <35 μg m^-3, which is 2-3 times lower than LRT episodes of similar back-trajectory

SUBMITTER: Griffith SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7295523 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature