The Heavy Particulate Matter Pollution During the COVID-19 Lockdown Period in the Guanzhong Basin, China.

Abstract

Nationwide restrictions on human activities (lockdown) in China since 23 January 2020, to control the 2019 novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID‐19), has provided an opportunity to evaluate the effect of emission mitigation on particulate matter (PM) pollution. The WRF‐Chem simulations of persistent heavy PM pollution episodes from 20 January to 14 February 2020, in the Guanzhong Basin (GZB), northwest China, reveal that large‐scale emission reduction of primary pollutants has not substantially improved the air quality during the COVID‐19 lockdown period. Simultaneous reduction of primary precursors during the lockdown period only decreases the near‐surface PM2.5 mass concentration by 11.6% (12.6 μg m−3), but increases ozone (O3) concentration by 9.2% (5.5 μg m−3) in the GZB. The primary organic aerosol and nitrate are the major contributor to the decreased PM2.5 in the GZB, with the reduction of 28.0% and 21.8%, respectively, followed by EC (10.1%) and ammonium (7.2%). The increased atmospheric oxidizing capacity by the O3 enhancement facilitates the secondary aerosol (SA) formation in the GZB, increasing secondary organic aerosol and sulphate by 6.5% and 3.3%, respectively. Furthermore, sensitivity experiments suggest that combined emission reduction of NOX and VOCs following the ratio of 1:1 is conducive to lowering the wintertime SA and O3 concentration and further alleviating the PM pollution in the GZB.