Articles | Volume 22, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7105-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-22-7105-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
02 Jun 2022
Research article |
| 02 Jun 2022
| 02 Jun 2022
Secondary PM2.5 decreases significantly less than NO2 emission reductions during COVID lockdown in Germany
Vigneshkumar Balamurugan
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Environmental Sensing and Modeling, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
Environmental Sensing and Modeling, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
School of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Environmental Sensing and Modeling, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
Frank N. Keutsch
School of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Cited
23 citations as recorded by crossref.
- A Satellite-Based Indicator for Diagnosing Particulate Nitrate Sensitivity to Precursor Emissions: Application to East Asia, Europe, and North America R. Dang et al. 10.1021/acs.est.4c08082
- Major ions and potentially toxic elements in atmospheric precipitation during the COVID-19 lockdown in Moscow megacity D. Vlasov et al. 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101422
- Sustainable advancements in hazardous gases capture: Harnessing the potential of deep eutectic solvents E. Oke 10.1016/j.scenv.2024.100083
- Climatology of aerosol pH and its controlling factors at the Melpitz continental background site in Central Europe V. Pratap et al. 10.5194/acp-25-8871-2025
- Evaluation of non-stationary spatial relationship between meteorological-environmental parameters and PM2.5 S. Roy et al. 10.1016/j.asr.2024.01.009
- Source-specific probabilistic exposure to PM2.5-bound trace elements in a school environment J. Obradović et al. 10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112509
- Impact of primary emission variations on secondary inorganic aerosol formation: Prospective from COVID-19 lockdown in a typical northern China city X. Duan et al. 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121355
- Current research on gaseous ammonia detecting and capture technologies A. Akhand & X. Wu 10.1016/j.coesh.2023.100515
- Global sensitivities of reactive N and S gas and particle concentrations and deposition to precursor emissions reductions Y. Ge et al. 10.5194/acp-23-6083-2023
- Responses of sulfate and nitrate to anthropogenic emission changes in eastern China - in perspective of long-term variations L. Qi et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158875
- Impact of Confinement on the Reduction of Pollution and Particulate Matter Concentrations. Reflections for Public Transport Policies J. Urrutia-Mosquera & L. Flórez-Calderón 10.1007/s40710-022-00611-w
- Non-linearity of secondary pollutant formation estimated from emissions data and measured precursor-secondary pollutant relationships R. Harrison et al. 10.1038/s41612-022-00297-9
- Anthropogenic impacts on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water: Evidence from the COVID-19 lockdown R. Li et al. 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122143
- Global health benefits associated with a substantial decrease in land transportation emissions during the COVID-19 period Y. Zhao et al. 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1519984
- Spatiotemporal modeling of air pollutant concentrations in Germany using machine learning V. Balamurugan et al. 10.5194/acp-23-10267-2023
- Estimating ground-level PM2.5 over Bangkok Metropolitan Region in Thailand using aerosol optical depth retrieved by MODIS B. Peng-in et al. 10.1007/s11869-022-01238-4
- Increased global cropland greening as a response to the unusual reduction in atmospheric PM₂.₅ concentrations during the COVID-19 lockdown period V. Patel et al. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142147
- Impact of urbanization on fine particulate matter concentrations over central Europe P. Huszar et al. 10.5194/acp-24-397-2024
- Source apportionment of PM2.5 before and after COVID-19 lockdown in an urban-industrial area of the Lisbon metropolitan area, Portugal C. Gamelas et al. 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101446
- Health risk of PM2.5-bound heavy metals in a megacity in South China: Comparison between before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 R. Wang et al. 10.1016/j.jes.2025.08.064
- Different Response Mechanisms of N‐Bearing Components to Emission Reduction Across China During COVID‐19 Lockdown Period R. Li et al. 10.1029/2023JD039496
- Underestimated benefits of NOx control in reducing SNA and O3 based on missing heterogeneous HONO sources S. Zhang et al. 10.1007/s11783-024-1790-y
- Importance of ozone precursors information in modelling urban surface ozone variability using machine learning algorithm V. Balamurugan et al. 10.1038/s41598-022-09619-6
22 citations as recorded by crossref.
- A Satellite-Based Indicator for Diagnosing Particulate Nitrate Sensitivity to Precursor Emissions: Application to East Asia, Europe, and North America R. Dang et al. 10.1021/acs.est.4c08082
- Major ions and potentially toxic elements in atmospheric precipitation during the COVID-19 lockdown in Moscow megacity D. Vlasov et al. 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101422
- Sustainable advancements in hazardous gases capture: Harnessing the potential of deep eutectic solvents E. Oke 10.1016/j.scenv.2024.100083
- Climatology of aerosol pH and its controlling factors at the Melpitz continental background site in Central Europe V. Pratap et al. 10.5194/acp-25-8871-2025
- Evaluation of non-stationary spatial relationship between meteorological-environmental parameters and PM2.5 S. Roy et al. 10.1016/j.asr.2024.01.009
- Source-specific probabilistic exposure to PM2.5-bound trace elements in a school environment J. Obradović et al. 10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112509
- Impact of primary emission variations on secondary inorganic aerosol formation: Prospective from COVID-19 lockdown in a typical northern China city X. Duan et al. 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121355
- Current research on gaseous ammonia detecting and capture technologies A. Akhand & X. Wu 10.1016/j.coesh.2023.100515
- Global sensitivities of reactive N and S gas and particle concentrations and deposition to precursor emissions reductions Y. Ge et al. 10.5194/acp-23-6083-2023
- Responses of sulfate and nitrate to anthropogenic emission changes in eastern China - in perspective of long-term variations L. Qi et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158875
- Impact of Confinement on the Reduction of Pollution and Particulate Matter Concentrations. Reflections for Public Transport Policies J. Urrutia-Mosquera & L. Flórez-Calderón 10.1007/s40710-022-00611-w
- Non-linearity of secondary pollutant formation estimated from emissions data and measured precursor-secondary pollutant relationships R. Harrison et al. 10.1038/s41612-022-00297-9
- Anthropogenic impacts on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water: Evidence from the COVID-19 lockdown R. Li et al. 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122143
- Global health benefits associated with a substantial decrease in land transportation emissions during the COVID-19 period Y. Zhao et al. 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1519984
- Spatiotemporal modeling of air pollutant concentrations in Germany using machine learning V. Balamurugan et al. 10.5194/acp-23-10267-2023
- Estimating ground-level PM2.5 over Bangkok Metropolitan Region in Thailand using aerosol optical depth retrieved by MODIS B. Peng-in et al. 10.1007/s11869-022-01238-4
- Increased global cropland greening as a response to the unusual reduction in atmospheric PM₂.₅ concentrations during the COVID-19 lockdown period V. Patel et al. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142147
- Impact of urbanization on fine particulate matter concentrations over central Europe P. Huszar et al. 10.5194/acp-24-397-2024
- Source apportionment of PM2.5 before and after COVID-19 lockdown in an urban-industrial area of the Lisbon metropolitan area, Portugal C. Gamelas et al. 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101446
- Health risk of PM2.5-bound heavy metals in a megacity in South China: Comparison between before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 R. Wang et al. 10.1016/j.jes.2025.08.064
- Different Response Mechanisms of N‐Bearing Components to Emission Reduction Across China During COVID‐19 Lockdown Period R. Li et al. 10.1029/2023JD039496
- Underestimated benefits of NOx control in reducing SNA and O3 based on missing heterogeneous HONO sources S. Zhang et al. 10.1007/s11783-024-1790-y
Latest update: 03 Nov 2025
Short summary
In this study, we investigated the response of secondary pollutants to changes in precursor emissions, focusing on the formation of secondary PM, during the COVID-19 lockdown period. We show that, due to the decrease in primary NOx emissions, atmospheric oxidizing capacity is increased. The nighttime increase in ozone, caused by less NO titration, results in higher NO3 radicals, which contribute significantly to the formation of PM nitrates. O3 should be limited in order to control PM pollution.
In this study, we investigated the response of secondary pollutants to changes in precursor...
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