Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown in a European Regional Monitoring Network (Spain): Are We Free from Pollution Episodes?

Gotzon Gangoiti,Estíbaliz García-Ruiz,José Antonio García,Verónica Valdenebro,Iñaki Zuazo,Estibaliz Sáez de Cámara,Ana Rodríguez-García,Maite de Blas,Maria Carmen Gómez,Eduardo Torre-Pascual

doi:10.3390/ijerph182111042

Gotzon Gangoiti, Estíbaliz García-Ruiz + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111042

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Abstract

The impact of the lockdown, during the period from March to June in 2020, upon the air quality of the Basque Country in northern Spain is analyzed. The evaluation accounts for the meteorology of the period. Daily and sub-daily analysis of aerosol and ozone records show that the territory was repeatedly affected by episodes of pollutants from outer regions. Three episodes of PM10 and ten of PM2.5 were caused by transported anthropogenic European sulfates, African dust, and wildland fires. The region, with a varied orographic climatology, shows high and diverse industrial activity. Urban and interurban road traffic of the region decreased by 49% and 53%, respectively, whereas industrial activity showed a lower reduction of 20%. Consequently, the average concentrations of NO2 in the cities during the period fell to 12.4 µg·m−3 (−45%). Ozone showed up to five exceedances of the WHOAQG for the daily maximum 8-h average in both rural and urban sites, associated with transport through France and the Bay of Biscay, under periods of European blocking anticyclones. However, averages showed a moderate decrease (−11%) in rural environments, in line with the precursor reductions, and disparate changes in the cities, which reproduced the weekend effect of their historical records. The PM10 decreased less than expected (−10% and −21%, in the urban and rural environments, respectively), probably caused by the modest decrease of industrial activity around urban sites and favorable meteorology for secondary aerosol formation, which could also influence the lower changes observed in the PM2.5 (−1% and +3% at the urban and rural sites, respectively). Consequently, in a future low NOx traffic emission scenario, the inter-regional PM and ozone control will require actions across various sectors, including the industry and common pollution control strategies.

Highlights

COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, expanded rapidly throughout the world during the first months of 2020, reaching pandemic status on March11
We show a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the air pollution of the Basque Country, a region in northern Spain with important industrial activity, and three major cities distributed throughout complex mountainous topography next to the French border
Traffic started to decrease during the first week with general restrictions (w1) and a minimum was reached during 6–12 April (w4), coinciding with restrictions on non-essential activities (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, expanded rapidly throughout the world during the first months of 2020, reaching pandemic status on March11. COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, expanded rapidly throughout the world during the first months of 2020, reaching pandemic status on March. Many countries were presented with unprecedented challenges with the intensive care units of their national health systems reaching saturation point. At this point (June 2021), the number of infections has exceeded 175 million and almost 4 million deaths have already been confirmed in the world To reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, lockdown measures were implemented worldwide with varied timing and severity according to the onset of the epidemiological crisis and the evolution of infections.

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