1. COVID‐19 Crisis Reduces Free Tropospheric Ozone Across the Northern Hemisphere
- Author
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Marc Allaart, Susan E. Strahan, Ryan M. Stauffer, Richard Querel, Anne M. Thompson, Nicholas B. Jones, Clare Paton-Walsh, Patrick Cullis, Tatsumi Nakano, Bryan J. Johnson, Gérard Ancellet, Thomas Blumenstock, Ankie Piters, Holger Deckelmann, Omaira García, Matthias Palm, Roeland Van Malderen, Kai-Lan Chang, Nis Jepsen, Antje Inness, M.B. Tully, Ralf Sussmann, Amelie N. Röhling, Gonzague Romanens, Dagmar Kubistin, Ana Diaz Rodriguez, Fernando Chouza, René Stübi, Owen R. Cooper, Emmanuel Mahieu, Kimberly Strong, Christian Plass-Dülmer, Jonathan Davies, Richard Engelen, Peter Oelsner, David W. Tarasick, Peter von der Gathen, Jose-Luis Hernandez, Michael Gill, Justus Notholt, Thierry Leblanc, Christian Servais, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Matthias Schneider, Norrie Lyall, Rigel Kivi, Carlos Torres, Shoma Yamanouchi, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Bogumil Kois, James W. Hannigan, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, Andy Delcloo, Deutscher Wetterdienst [Offenbach] (DWD), Environment and Climate Change Canada, Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Met Office Lerwick, Universität Bremen, Institute of Meteorology and Water Management - National Research Institute (IMGW - PIB), Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), Irish Meteorological Service (MET ÉIREANN), Institut Royal Météorologique de Belgique [Bruxelles] (IRM), Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung - Atmosphärische Umweltforschung (IMK-IFU), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut d'Astrophysique et de Géophysique [Liège], Université de Liège, Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, TROPO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), STRATO - LATMOS, University of Toronto, ESRL Global Monitoring Laboratory [Boulder] (GML), NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado [Boulder]-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Center for Atmospheric Research [Boulder] (NCAR), Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMet), Meteorological Research Institute [Tsukuba] (MRI), Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung - Atmosphärische Spurengase und Fernerkundung (IMK-ASF), Australian Bureau of Meteorology [Melbourne] (BoM), Australian Government, University of Wollongong [Australia], National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research [Lauder] (NIWA), GSFC Earth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Earth Science System Interdisciplinary Center [College Park] (ESSIC), College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences [College Park], University of Maryland [College Park], University of Maryland System-University of Maryland System-University of Maryland [College Park], University of Maryland System-University of Maryland System, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory (CSL), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), University of Wollongong, GFSC Earth Sciences Division, Kubistin, Dagmar, 1 Deutscher Wetterdienst Hohenpeißenberg Germany, Plass‐Dülmer, Christian, Davies, Jonathan, 2 Environment and Climate Change Canada Toronto ONT Canada, Tarasick, David W., Gathen, Peter von der, 3 Alfred Wegener Institut Helmholtz‐Zentrum für Polar‐ und Meeresforschung Potsdam Germany, Deckelmann, Holger, Jepsen, Nis, 4 Danish Meteorological Institute Copenhagen Denmark, Kivi, Rigel, 5 Finnish Meteorological Institute Sodankylä Finland, Lyall, Norrie, 6 British Meteorological Service Lerwick UK, Palm, Matthias, 7 University of Bremen Bremen Germany, Notholt, Justus, Kois, Bogumil, 8 Institute of Meteorology and Water Management Legionowo Poland, Oelsner, Peter, 9 Deutscher Wetterdienst Lindenberg Germany, Allaart, Marc, 10 Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute DeBilt The Netherlands, Piters, Ankie, Gill, Michael, 11 Met Éireann (Irish Met. Service) Valentia Ireland, Van Malderen, Roeland, 12 Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium Uccle Belgium, Delcloo, Andy W., Sussmann, Ralf, 13 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology IMK‐IFU Garmisch‐Partenkirchen Germany, Mahieu, Emmanuel, 14 Institute of Astrophysics and Geophysics University of Liège Liège Belgium, Servais, Christian, Romanens, Gonzague, 15 Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss Payerne Switzerland, Stübi, Rene, Ancellet, Gerard, 16 LATMOS Sorbonne Université‐UVSQ‐CNRS/INSU Paris France, Godin‐Beekmann, Sophie, Yamanouchi, Shoma, 17 University of Toronto Toronto ONT Canada, Strong, Kimberly, Johnson, Bryan, 18 NOAA ESRL Global Monitoring Laboratory Boulder CO USA, Cullis, Patrick, Petropavlovskikh, Irina, Hannigan, James W., 20 National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USA, Hernandez, Jose‐Luis, 21 State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) Madrid Spain, Diaz Rodriguez, Ana, Nakano, Tatsumi, 22 Meteorological Research Institute Tsukuba Japan, Chouza, Fernando, 23 Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Table Mountain Facility Wrightwood CA USA, Leblanc, Thierry, Torres, Carlos, 24 Izaña Atmospheric Research Center AEMET Tenerife Spain, Garcia, Omaira, Röhling, Amelie N., 25 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology IMK‐ASF Karlsruhe Germany, Schneider, Matthias, Blumenstock, Thomas, Tully, Matt, 26 Bureau of Meteorology Melbourne Australia, Paton‐Walsh, Clare, 27 Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry University of Wollongong Wollongong Australia, Jones, Nicholas, Querel, Richard, 28 National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Lauder New Zealand, Strahan, Susan, 29 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Sciences Division Greenbelt MD USA, Stauffer, Ryan M., Thompson, Anne M., Inness, Antje, 32 European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Reading UK, Engelen, Richard, Chang, Kai‐Lan, 19 Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) University of Colorado Boulder CO USA, and Cooper, Owen R.
- Subjects
Atmospheric Science ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Pollution: Urban, Regional and Global ,Atmospheric Composition and Structure ,Biogeosciences ,010502 geochemistry & geophysics ,Atmospheric sciences ,[SDV.MHEP.PSR]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Pulmonology and respiratory tract ,01 natural sciences ,Biogeochemical Kinetics and Reaction Modeling ,LIDAR ,Troposphere ,Oceanography: Biological and Chemical ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,[SDV.MHEP.MI]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Infectious diseases ,Emission reductions ,ddc:550 ,[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean, Atmosphere ,VERTICAL-DISTRIBUTION ,Marine Pollution ,RECORD ,NOX ,551.51 ,Biogeochemistry ,Ozone depletion ,Oceanography: General ,Pollution: Urban and Regional ,Geophysics ,Free troposphere ,Emissions ,Troposphere: Composition and Chemistry ,The COVID‐19 pandemic: linking health, society and environment ,Cryosphere ,Biogeochemical Cycles, Processes, and Modeling ,Ozone ,Megacities and Urban Environment ,URBAN ,Atmosphere ,Paleoceanography ,Altitude ,COVID‐19 ,Research Letter ,Global Change ,Tropospheric ozone ,Stratosphere ,Urban Systems ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Aerosols ,[PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-AO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics [physics.ao-ph] ,emissions ,Northern Hemisphere ,COVID-19 ,PROFILES ,Aerosols and Particles ,TRENDS ,Earth sciences ,ozone ,Physics and Astronomy ,troposphere ,chemistry ,13. Climate action ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,Environmental science ,Natural Hazards - Abstract
Throughout spring and summer 2020, ozone stations in the northern extratropics recorded unusually low ozone in the free troposphere. From April to August, and from 1 to 8 kilometers altitude, ozone was on average 7% (≈4 nmol/mol) below the 2000–2020 climatological mean. Such low ozone, over several months, and at so many stations, has not been observed in any previous year since at least 2000. Atmospheric composition analyses from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service and simulations from the NASA GMI model indicate that the large 2020 springtime ozone depletion in the Arctic stratosphere contributed less than one‐quarter of the observed tropospheric anomaly. The observed anomaly is consistent with recent chemistry‐climate model simulations, which assume emissions reductions similar to those caused by the COVID‐19 crisis. COVID‐19 related emissions reductions appear to be the major cause for the observed reduced free tropospheric ozone in 2020., Plain Language Summary: Worldwide actions to contain the COVID‐19 virus have closed factories, grounded airplanes, and have generally reduced travel and transportation. Less fuel was burnt, and less exhaust was emitted into the atmosphere. Due to these measures, the concentration of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) decreased in the atmosphere. These substances are important for photochemical production and destruction of ozone in the atmosphere. In clean or mildly polluted air, reducing nitrogen oxides and/or VOCs will reduce the photochemical production of ozone and result in less ozone. In heavily polluted air, in contrast, reducing nitrogen oxides can increase ozone concentrations, because less nitrogen oxide is available to destroy ozone. In this study, we use data from three types of ozone instruments, but mostly from ozonesondes on weather balloons. The sondes fly from the ground up to 30 kilometers altitude. In the first 8 km, we find significantly reduced ozone concentrations in the northern extratropics during spring and summer of 2020, less than in any other year since at least 2000. We suggest that reduced emissions due to the COVID‐19 crisis have lowered photochemical ozone production and have caused the observed ozone reductions in the troposphere., Key Points: In spring and summer 2020, stations in the northern extratropics report on average 7% (4 nmol/mol) less tropospheric ozone than normal Such low tropospheric ozone, over several months, and at so many sites, has not been observed in any previous year since at least 2000 Most of the reduction in tropospheric ozone in 2020 is likely due to emissions reductions related to the COVID‐19 pandemic, NASA | Earth Sciences Division (NASA Earth Science Division) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100014573, Gouvernement du Canada | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000038, Australian Research Council, Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique ‐ FNRS (FNRS) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002661, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659, Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100006360
- Published
- 2021
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