Articles | Volume 22, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8683-2022
© 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-22-8683-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
06 Jul 2022
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 06 Jul 2022
| 06 Jul 2022
Black carbon aerosol reductions during COVID-19 confinement quantified by aircraft measurements over Europe
Ovid O. Krüger
Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Bruna A. Holanda
Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Sourangsu Chowdhury
Atmospheric Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
now at: CICERO Center for International Climate Research, 0349 Oslo, Norway
Andrea Pozzer
Atmospheric Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
David Walter
Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
now at: Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Christopher Pöhlker
Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Maria Dolores Andrés Hernández
Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
John P. Burrows
Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Christiane Voigt
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), 82234 Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Jos Lelieveld
Atmospheric Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Johannes Quaas
Leipzig Institute for Meteorology, Universität Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Ulrich Pöschl
Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Mira L. Pöhlker
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Leipzig Institute for Meteorology, Universität Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Experimental Aerosol and Cloud Microphysics Department, Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
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Cited
14 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Importance of size representation and morphology in modelling optical properties of black carbon: comparison between laboratory measurements and model simulations B. Romshoo et al. 10.5194/amt-15-6965-2022
- Enhanced sulfur in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere in spring 2020 L. Tomsche et al. 10.5194/acp-22-15135-2022
- Spatiotemporal characteristics and socioeconomic factors of PM2.5 heterogeneity in mainland China during the COVID-19 epidemic H. Jia et al. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138785
- Investigating an indirect aviation effect on mid-latitude cirrus clouds – linking lidar-derived optical properties to in situ measurements S. Groß et al. 10.5194/acp-23-8369-2023
- Machine learning techniques to predict atmospheric black carbon in a tropical coastal environment P. Satpathy et al. 10.1016/j.rsase.2024.101154
- Inferred vehicular emissions at a near-road site: Impacts of COVID-19 restrictions, traffic patterns, and ambient air temperature D. Hall-Quinlan et al. 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2023.119649
- Numerical simulation of the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on tropospheric composition and aerosol radiative forcing in Europe S. Reifenberg et al. 10.5194/acp-22-10901-2022
- Airborne glyoxal measurements in the marine and continental atmosphere: comparison with TROPOMI observations and EMAC simulations F. Kluge et al. 10.5194/acp-23-1369-2023
- Hemispheric-wide climate response to regional COVID-19-related aerosol emission reductions: the prominent role of atmospheric circulation adjustments N. Fahrenbach & M. Bollasina 10.5194/acp-23-877-2023
- African biomass burning affects aerosol cycling over the Amazon B. Holanda et al. 10.1038/s43247-023-00795-5
- A traffic-induced shift of ultrafine particle sources under COVID-19 soft lockdown in a subtropical urban area T. Chen et al. 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108658
- The influence of extratropical cross-tropopause mixing on the correlation between ozone and sulfate aerosol in the lowermost stratosphere P. Joppe et al. 10.5194/acp-24-7499-2024
- Black carbon aerosol reductions during COVID-19 confinement quantified by aircraft measurements over Europe O. Krüger et al. 10.5194/acp-22-8683-2022
- Overview: On the transport and transformation of pollutants in the outflow of major population centres – observational data from the EMeRGe European intensive operational period in summer 2017 M. Andrés Hernández et al. 10.5194/acp-22-5877-2022
12 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Importance of size representation and morphology in modelling optical properties of black carbon: comparison between laboratory measurements and model simulations B. Romshoo et al. 10.5194/amt-15-6965-2022
- Enhanced sulfur in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere in spring 2020 L. Tomsche et al. 10.5194/acp-22-15135-2022
- Spatiotemporal characteristics and socioeconomic factors of PM2.5 heterogeneity in mainland China during the COVID-19 epidemic H. Jia et al. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138785
- Investigating an indirect aviation effect on mid-latitude cirrus clouds – linking lidar-derived optical properties to in situ measurements S. Groß et al. 10.5194/acp-23-8369-2023
- Machine learning techniques to predict atmospheric black carbon in a tropical coastal environment P. Satpathy et al. 10.1016/j.rsase.2024.101154
- Inferred vehicular emissions at a near-road site: Impacts of COVID-19 restrictions, traffic patterns, and ambient air temperature D. Hall-Quinlan et al. 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2023.119649
- Numerical simulation of the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on tropospheric composition and aerosol radiative forcing in Europe S. Reifenberg et al. 10.5194/acp-22-10901-2022
- Airborne glyoxal measurements in the marine and continental atmosphere: comparison with TROPOMI observations and EMAC simulations F. Kluge et al. 10.5194/acp-23-1369-2023
- Hemispheric-wide climate response to regional COVID-19-related aerosol emission reductions: the prominent role of atmospheric circulation adjustments N. Fahrenbach & M. Bollasina 10.5194/acp-23-877-2023
- African biomass burning affects aerosol cycling over the Amazon B. Holanda et al. 10.1038/s43247-023-00795-5
- A traffic-induced shift of ultrafine particle sources under COVID-19 soft lockdown in a subtropical urban area T. Chen et al. 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108658
- The influence of extratropical cross-tropopause mixing on the correlation between ozone and sulfate aerosol in the lowermost stratosphere P. Joppe et al. 10.5194/acp-24-7499-2024
2 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Black carbon aerosol reductions during COVID-19 confinement quantified by aircraft measurements over Europe O. Krüger et al. 10.5194/acp-22-8683-2022
- Overview: On the transport and transformation of pollutants in the outflow of major population centres – observational data from the EMeRGe European intensive operational period in summer 2017 M. Andrés Hernández et al. 10.5194/acp-22-5877-2022
Latest update: 25 Dec 2024
Executive editor
Krüger et al. present observations of the effect of the COVID-19 lockdowns on black carbon emissions using a combination of airborne in situ observations and models. The impact of lockdowns on emissions from transport is by now well established, however the majority of studies to date have focused on NO2 as this is a regulated pollutant and high resolution observations are available in new satellite data products. This work instead uses a state-of-the-art airborne facility (DLR HALO) to report data on black carbon, which has established impacts both as a airborne pollutant damaging to human health, and as a highly potent short-lived climate forcing agent. Data from during the European lockdown period is compared with the prior EMeRGe campaign (https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/special_issue1074.html). The authors found a decrease in BC concentrations of 48% over Western and Southern Europe, of which 7% was likely due to meteorological differences during the two campaigns and 3-9% was due to a long-term downward trend, leading them to conclude that the lockdowns were overall responsible for a reduction in ambient concentrations of 32-38%. By seizing this unique opportunity, this study offers a new and unparalleled insight into the current nature of black carbon emissions from Europe. It also demonstrates how airborne in situ measurements and models can be used in combination to study the emission and transport of pollutants in the troposphere.
Krüger et al. present observations of the effect of the COVID-19 lockdowns on black carbon...
Short summary
The abrupt reduction in human activities during the first COVID-19 lockdown created unprecedented atmospheric conditions. We took the opportunity to quantify changes in black carbon (BC) as a major anthropogenic air pollutant. Therefore, we measured BC on board a research aircraft over Europe during the lockdown and compared the results to measurements from 2017. With model simulations we account for different weather conditions and find a lockdown-related decrease in BC of 41 %.
The abrupt reduction in human activities during the first COVID-19 lockdown created...
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