Impact of Lockdowns on Air Pollution: Case Studies of Two Periods in 2022 in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

The photochemical mechanisms of ozone (O3) formation are complex, and simply reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions is insufficient to reduce O3 concentrations. The lockdown due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic provided a rare opportunity to explore the mechanisms of O3 formation and evaluate the performance of NOx emission control strategies through practical observations. This study integrates data from ground stations with observations from the TROPOMI sensor on the Sentinel-5P satellite to analyze air quality changes during the two one-month lockdown periods in Guangzhou, China, in March and November 2022. Our analysis particularly focuses on the impact of these lockdowns on O3 and NO2 concentrations, along with shifts in the sensitivity of ozone formation. Furthermore, we have assessed concentration changes of four major pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and CO. The results show that the average O3 concentration in Guangzhou decreased during the March lockdown, while the average O3 concentration at three stations in the western part of Guangzhou increased during the November lockdown. The western part of Guangzhou is a VOCs (volatile organic compounds)-limited zone, and the NO2 emission reduction from the lockdown reduced the titration effect on O3, which led to the increase in O3 concentration. Overall, the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on O3 concentrations depended on the local O3 producing sensitive system, and emissions of other major pollutants were reduced substantially, as reported in many other cities around the world.