Articles | Volume 21, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-4169-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-4169-2021
Research article
 | 
18 Mar 2021
Research article |  | 18 Mar 2021

COVID-19 lockdowns highlight a risk of increasing ozone pollution in European urban areas

Stuart K. Grange, James D. Lee, Will S. Drysdale, Alastair C. Lewis, Christoph Hueglin, Lukas Emmenegger, and David C. Carslaw

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AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
AR by Stuart Grange on behalf of the Authors (29 Jan 2021)  Author's response    Author's tracked changes    Manuscript
ED: Publish as is (07 Feb 2021) by Astrid Kiendler-Scharr (deceased)
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Short summary
The changes in mobility across Europe due to the COVID-19 lockdowns had consequences for air quality. We compare what was experienced to estimates of "what would have been" without the lockdowns. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), an important vehicle-sourced pollutant, decreased by a third. However, ozone (O3) increased in response to lower NO2. Because NO2 is decreasing over time, increases in O3 can be expected in European urban areas and will require management to avoid future negative outcomes.
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