Fingerprints of the COVID-19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high-elevation sites in North America and western Europe
<p><span id="page15694"/>With a few exceptions, most studies on tropospheric ozone (O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>) variability during and following the COrona VIrus Disease (COVID-19) economic downturn focused on high-emissi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/15693/2023/acp-23-15693-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797384211281215488 |
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| author | D. Putero P. Cristofanelli K.-L. Chang G. Dufour G. Beachley C. Couret P. Effertz D. A. Jaffe D. Kubistin J. Lynch I. Petropavlovskikh M. Puchalski T. Sharac B. C. Sive M. Steinbacher C. Torres O. R. Cooper |
| author_facet | D. Putero P. Cristofanelli K.-L. Chang G. Dufour G. Beachley C. Couret P. Effertz D. A. Jaffe D. Kubistin J. Lynch I. Petropavlovskikh M. Puchalski T. Sharac B. C. Sive M. Steinbacher C. Torres O. R. Cooper |
| author_sort | D. Putero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p><span id="page15694"/>With a few exceptions, most studies on tropospheric ozone (O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>) variability during and following the COrona VIrus Disease (COVID-19) economic downturn focused on high-emission regions or urban environments. In this work, we investigated the impact of the societal restriction measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on surface O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> at several high-elevation sites across North America and western Europe. Monthly O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> anomalies were calculated for 2020 and 2021, with respect to the baseline period 2000–2019, to explore the impact of the economic downturn initiated in 2020 and its recovery in 2021. In total, 41 high-elevation sites were analyzed: 5 rural or mountaintop stations in western Europe, 19 rural sites in the western US, 4 sites in the western US downwind of highly polluted source regions, and 4 rural sites in the eastern US, plus 9 mountaintop or high-elevation sites outside Europe and the United States to provide a “global” reference. In 2020, the European high-elevation sites showed persistent negative surface O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> anomalies during spring (March–May, i.e., MAM) and summer (June–August, i.e., JJA), except for April. The pattern was similar in 2021, except for June. The rural sites in the western US showed similar behavior, with negative anomalies in MAM and JJA 2020 (except for August) and MAM 2021. The JJA 2021 seasonal mean was influenced by strong positive anomalies in July due to large and widespread wildfires across the western US. The polluted sites in the western US showed negative O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> anomalies during MAM 2020 and a slight recovery in 2021, resulting in a positive mean anomaly for MAM 2021 and a pronounced month-to-month variability in JJA 2021 anomalies. The eastern US sites were also characterized by below-mean O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> for both MAM and JJA 2020, while in 2021 the negative values exhibited an opposite structure compared to the western US sites, which were influenced by wildfires. Concerning the rest of the world, a global picture could not be drawn, as the sites, spanning a range of different environments, did not show consistent anomalies, with a few sites not experiencing any notable variation. Moreover, we also compared our surface anomalies to the variability of mid-tropospheric O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> detected by the IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) satellite instrument. Negative anomalies were observed by IASI, consistent with published satellite and modeling studies, suggesting that the anomalies can be largely attributed to the reduction of O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> precursor emissions in 2020.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:32:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-58fc84d9faa3483b8792517aa3614102 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:32:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-58fc84d9faa3483b8792517aa36141022023-12-21T05:09:11ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics1680-73161680-73242023-12-0123156931570910.5194/acp-23-15693-2023Fingerprints of the COVID-19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high-elevation sites in North America and western EuropeD. Putero0P. Cristofanelli1K.-L. Chang2G. Dufour3G. Beachley4C. Couret5P. Effertz6D. A. Jaffe7D. Kubistin8J. Lynch9I. Petropavlovskikh10M. Puchalski11T. Sharac12B. C. Sive13M. Steinbacher14C. Torres15O. R. Cooper16National Research Council of Italy – Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, CNR–ISAC, Turin, ItalyNational Research Council of Italy – Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, CNR–ISAC, Bologna, ItalyCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder/NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, USAUniversité de Paris Cité and Univ. Paris Est Créteil, CNRS, LISA, Paris, FranceOffice of Atmospheric Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC, USAGerman Environment Agency, Zugspitze, GermanyCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder/NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Boulder, USAUniversity of Washington, School of STEM/Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Bothell/Seattle, USAHohenpeißenberg Meteorological Observatory, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Hohenpeißenberg, GermanyOffice of Atmospheric Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC, USACooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder/NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Boulder, USAOffice of Atmospheric Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC, USAOffice of Atmospheric Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC, USAAir Resources Division, National Park Service, Denver, USAEmpa, Laboratory for Air Pollution & Environmental Technology, Dübendorf, SwitzerlandIzaña Atmospheric Research Center, State Meteorological Agency of Spain, IARC-AEMET, Tenerife, SpainCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder/NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, USA<p><span id="page15694"/>With a few exceptions, most studies on tropospheric ozone (O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>) variability during and following the COrona VIrus Disease (COVID-19) economic downturn focused on high-emission regions or urban environments. In this work, we investigated the impact of the societal restriction measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on surface O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> at several high-elevation sites across North America and western Europe. Monthly O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> anomalies were calculated for 2020 and 2021, with respect to the baseline period 2000–2019, to explore the impact of the economic downturn initiated in 2020 and its recovery in 2021. In total, 41 high-elevation sites were analyzed: 5 rural or mountaintop stations in western Europe, 19 rural sites in the western US, 4 sites in the western US downwind of highly polluted source regions, and 4 rural sites in the eastern US, plus 9 mountaintop or high-elevation sites outside Europe and the United States to provide a “global” reference. In 2020, the European high-elevation sites showed persistent negative surface O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> anomalies during spring (March–May, i.e., MAM) and summer (June–August, i.e., JJA), except for April. The pattern was similar in 2021, except for June. The rural sites in the western US showed similar behavior, with negative anomalies in MAM and JJA 2020 (except for August) and MAM 2021. The JJA 2021 seasonal mean was influenced by strong positive anomalies in July due to large and widespread wildfires across the western US. The polluted sites in the western US showed negative O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> anomalies during MAM 2020 and a slight recovery in 2021, resulting in a positive mean anomaly for MAM 2021 and a pronounced month-to-month variability in JJA 2021 anomalies. The eastern US sites were also characterized by below-mean O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> for both MAM and JJA 2020, while in 2021 the negative values exhibited an opposite structure compared to the western US sites, which were influenced by wildfires. Concerning the rest of the world, a global picture could not be drawn, as the sites, spanning a range of different environments, did not show consistent anomalies, with a few sites not experiencing any notable variation. Moreover, we also compared our surface anomalies to the variability of mid-tropospheric O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> detected by the IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) satellite instrument. Negative anomalies were observed by IASI, consistent with published satellite and modeling studies, suggesting that the anomalies can be largely attributed to the reduction of O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> precursor emissions in 2020.</p>https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/15693/2023/acp-23-15693-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | D. Putero P. Cristofanelli K.-L. Chang G. Dufour G. Beachley C. Couret P. Effertz D. A. Jaffe D. Kubistin J. Lynch I. Petropavlovskikh M. Puchalski T. Sharac B. C. Sive M. Steinbacher C. Torres O. R. Cooper Fingerprints of the COVID-19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high-elevation sites in North America and western Europe Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| title | Fingerprints of the COVID-19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high-elevation sites in North America and western Europe |
| title_full | Fingerprints of the COVID-19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high-elevation sites in North America and western Europe |
| title_fullStr | Fingerprints of the COVID-19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high-elevation sites in North America and western Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fingerprints of the COVID-19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high-elevation sites in North America and western Europe |
| title_short | Fingerprints of the COVID-19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high-elevation sites in North America and western Europe |
| title_sort | fingerprints of the covid 19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high elevation sites in north america and western europe |
| url | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/15693/2023/acp-23-15693-2023.pdf |
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