Articles | Volume 21, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7597-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7597-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 May 2021
Research article |
| 19 May 2021
| 19 May 2021
Impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown on air pollution at regional and urban background sites in northern Italy
Jean-Philippe Putaud
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra,
Italy
Luca Pozzoli
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra,
Italy
Enrico Pisoni
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra,
Italy
Sebastiao Martins Dos Santos
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra,
Italy
Friedrich Lagler
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra,
Italy
Guido Lanzani
Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente
(ARPA-Lombardia), Milan, Italy
Umberto Dal Santo
Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente
(ARPA-Lombardia), Milan, Italy
Augustin Colette
Milieux et Impacts sur le Vivant, Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des
Risques (INERIS), Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
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- Characterizing the interruption-recovery patterns of urban air pollution under the COVID-19 lockdown in China W. Cai et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108231
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- Seasonal and Spatial Variations of the Oxidative Properties of Ambient PM2.5 in the Po Valley, Italy, before and during COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions M. Pietrogrande et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031797
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- Aerosol absorption using in situ filter-based photometers and ground-based sun photometry in the Po Valley urban atmosphere A. Bigi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14841-2023
- Long-Term COVID-19 Restrictions in Italy to Assess the Role of Seasonal Meteorological Conditions and Pollutant Emissions on Urban Air Quality G. Gualtieri et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13071156
- Effects of COVID‐19 lockdown measures on nitrogen dioxide and black carbon concentrations close to a major Italian motorway E. Bertazza et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/met.2123
48 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Differential impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns on PM2.5 across the United States K. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2021.100122
- Non-linear response of PM2.5 to changes in NOx and NH3 emissions in the Po basin (Italy): consequences for air quality plans P. Thunis et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9309-2021
- Energy poverty influences urban outdoor air pollution levels during COVID-19 lockdown in south-central Chile A. Martinez-Soto et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112571
- The greatest air quality experiment ever: Policy suggestions from the COVID-19 lockdown in twelve European cities M. Volta et al. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277428
- Black Carbon Particles Physicochemical Real‐Time Data Set in a Cold City: Trends of Fall‐Winter BC Accumulation and COVID‐19 H. Li & P. Ariya https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035265
- Analysis of COVID-19 Lockdown to Understand Air Pollution Processes and Their Impacts on Health: A Case Study in the Western Balkans C. Belis et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16010090
- Quantile hidden semi-Markov models for multivariate time series L. Merlo et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11222-022-10130-1
- Trends in CO, CO2, CH4, BC, and NOx during the First 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown: Source Insights from the WMO/GAW Station of Lamezia Terme (Calabria, Southern Italy) F. D’Amico et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188229
- Characterizing the interruption-recovery patterns of urban air pollution under the COVID-19 lockdown in China W. Cai et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108231
- Comparison and implications of the carbonaceous fractions under different environments in polluted central plains in China: Insight from the lockdown of COVID-19 outbreak Z. Dong et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121736
- Air Quality in the Italian Northwestern Alps during Year 2020: Assessment of the COVID-19 «Lockdown Effect» from Multi-Technique Observations and Models H. Diémoz et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12081006
- Source apportionment of fine and ultrafine particle number concentrations in a major city of the Eastern Mediterranean P. Kalkavouras et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170042
- Secondary PM2.5 decreases significantly less than NO2 emission reductions during COVID lockdown in Germany V. Balamurugan et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7105-2022
- Risk Assessment and Air Quality Study during Different Phases of COVID-19 Lockdown in an Urban Area of Klang Valley, Malaysia M. Mohd Nadzir et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112217
- Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on carbonaceous aerosols in a polluted city: Composition characterization, source apportionment, influence factors of secondary formation Z. Dong et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136028
- Detection and attribution of an anomaly in terrestrial photosynthesis in Europe during the COVID-19 lockdown A. Tang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166149
- Phenomenology of ultrafine particle concentrations and size distribution across urban Europe P. Trechera et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.107744
- Investigating impacts of COVID-19 on urban mobility and emissions D. Li & J. Lasenby https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104246
- Six-year trend of concentrations of ultrafine particles 6 km away from a major German airport H. Gerwig et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-4-153-2026
- Comparison of Pollution Characteristics and Magnetic Response of Heavy Metals in Dustfall before and after COVID-19 Outbreak in Shanghai G. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/app122110853
- Source apportionment of ultrafine particles in urban Europe M. Garcia-Marlès et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.109149
- Seasonal and Spatial Variations of the Oxidative Properties of Ambient PM2.5 in the Po Valley, Italy, before and during COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions M. Pietrogrande et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031797
- What Can the COVID-19 Pandemic Tell Us About the Energy Transition? A Nitrogen Dioxide and Ground-Level Ozone Study A. Soares & C. Silva https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15121453
- Inter-annual trends of ultrafine particles in urban Europe M. Garcia-Marlès et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.108510
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- Traffic and PM10 in Veneto region (northeastern Italy): The lesson of the 2020 lockdown D. Pernigotti & M. Miglietta https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2026.108766
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- Changing air pollution and CO2 emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lesson learned and future equity concerns of post-COVID recovery J. Alava & G. Singh https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.01.006
- Implications of COVID-19 Restriction Measures in Urban Air Quality of Thessaloniki, Greece: A Machine Learning Approach D. Akritidis et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12111500
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- The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown Strategies on Oxidative Properties of Ambient PM10 in the Metropolitan Area of Milan, Italy M. Pietrogrande et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments9110145
- Estimating the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on pollutant emissions in Europe A. Rodríguez-Sánchez et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2022.101388
- Concentration and size distribution of atmospheric particles in southern Italy during COVID-19 lockdown period M. Conte et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119559
- The regional impact of urban emissions on air quality in Europe: the role of the urban canopy effects P. Huszar et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14309-2021
- First Chinese ultraviolet–visible hyperspectral satellite instrument implicating global air quality during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 C. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-022-00722-x
- The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Air Pollution: A Systematic Review S. SeyedAlinaghi et al. https://doi.org/10.2174/0126667975303562240625061226
- Active mobility versus motorized transport? User choices and benefits for the society E. Pisoni et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150627
- Poor regulation implications in a low and middle income country based on PAH source apportionment and cancer risk assessment W. Jaafar et al. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EM00285F
- Unchanged PM2.5 levels over Europe during COVID-19 were buffered by ammonia N. Evangeliou et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-155-2025
- Inequality in exposure to air pollutants: A new perspective E. Pisoni et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.113358
- Air quality changes during the COVID-19 pandemic guided by robust virus-spreading data in Italy L. Aragão et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-023-01495-x
- Modelling the Impact of the Introduction of the EURO 6d-TEMP/6d Regulation for Light-Duty Vehicles on EU Air Quality A. de Meij et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094257
- The effect of Covid-19 lockdown on airborne particulate matter in Rome, Italy: A magnetic point of view A. Winkler et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118191
- Aerosol absorption using in situ filter-based photometers and ground-based sun photometry in the Po Valley urban atmosphere A. Bigi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14841-2023
- Long-Term COVID-19 Restrictions in Italy to Assess the Role of Seasonal Meteorological Conditions and Pollutant Emissions on Urban Air Quality G. Gualtieri et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13071156
- Effects of COVID‐19 lockdown measures on nitrogen dioxide and black carbon concentrations close to a major Italian motorway E. Bertazza et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/met.2123
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 03 Jun 2026
Short summary
To determine the impact of the COVID lockdown on air quality in northern Italy, measurements of atmospheric pollutants (NO2, PM10, O3, NO, SO2 ) were compared to the output of a model ignoring the lockdown. We found that NO2 decreased on average by −30 % to −40 %. Unlike NO2, PM10 was not significantly affected due to the compensation of decreased emissions from traffic by increased emissions from domestic heating and/or by changes in atmospheric chemistry enhancing secondary aerosol formation.
To determine the impact of the COVID lockdown on air quality in northern Italy, measurements of...
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