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https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-621
© Author(s) 2020. 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-2020-621
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
13 Jul 2020
| 13 Jul 2020
Status: this preprint was under review for the journal ACP but the revision was not accepted.
An assessment of the impact of a nation-wide lockdown on air pollution – a remote sensing perspective over India
Abstract. The nation-wide lockdown imposed over India from 25th March 2020 onwards, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, placed severe restrictions upon the industrial and transport sectors, which together form a significant chunk of anthropogenic emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. Atmospheric concentrations of Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) for lockdown and pre-lockdown periods were investigated with observations from Aura/OMI, Terra/MOPITT, Sentinel-5p/TROPOMI and Aqua-Terra/MODIS satellite sensors. Mean NO2 levels over India during the lockdown period showed a dip of 17 % as compared to pre-lockdown period and a decrease of 18 % against the 5-year average. Over New Delhi in particular, there was a sharp decrease of 62 % in NO2 levels as compared to 2019 and a decline by 54 % relative to the preceding 5-year period (2015–2019). Aerosol levels reduced over the country by ~ 24 % from the 5-year mean levels, with a marked reduction over the Indo-Gangetic plains region. An increase in CO levels was noticeable, probably due to its longer life-time as compared to NO2 and aerosols. This study also reports the rate of change of NO2, CO and AOD, indicating increase/decrease in pollutant emissions over the different states of India.
How to cite. Pathakoti, M., Muppalla, A., Hazra, S., Dangeti, M., Shekhar, R., Jella, S., Mullapudi, S. S., Andugulapati, P., and Vijayasundaram, U.: An assessment of the impact of a nation-wide lockdown on air pollution – a remote sensing perspective over India, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-621, 2020.
Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this paper. While Copernicus Publications makes every effort to include appropriate place names, the final responsibility lies with the authors. Views expressed in the text are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
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AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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SC1: 'Comments on the aerosol portion of the analysis (possibly applicable elsewhere too)', Andrew Sayer, 15 Jul 2020
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AC1: 'Reply to SC1 (Dr. Sayer)-AOD regarding', Mahesh Pathakoti, 17 Jul 2020
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AC1: 'Reply to SC1 (Dr. Sayer)-AOD regarding', Mahesh Pathakoti, 17 Jul 2020
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RC1: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #1, 15 Jul 2020
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RC2: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #2, 16 Aug 2020
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RC3: 'comment for Pathakoti et al.', Anonymous Referee #3, 06 Sep 2020
Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
- Printer-friendly version
- Supplement
-
SC1: 'Comments on the aerosol portion of the analysis (possibly applicable elsewhere too)', Andrew Sayer, 15 Jul 2020
-
AC1: 'Reply to SC1 (Dr. Sayer)-AOD regarding', Mahesh Pathakoti, 17 Jul 2020
-
AC1: 'Reply to SC1 (Dr. Sayer)-AOD regarding', Mahesh Pathakoti, 17 Jul 2020
-
RC1: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #1, 15 Jul 2020
-
RC2: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #2, 16 Aug 2020
-
RC3: 'comment for Pathakoti et al.', Anonymous Referee #3, 06 Sep 2020
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- Effect of Lockdown on Pollutant Levels in the Delhi Megacity: Role of Local Emission Sources and Chemical Lifetimes C. Mallik et al.
- Assessment of Air Quality Index in major cities of India - Lessons from Lockdown S. Selvi et al.
- Interpreting the COVID effect on atmospheric constituents over the Indian region during the lockdown: chemistry, meteorology, and seasonality R. Kant et al.
- UK surface NO2 levels dropped by 42 % during the COVID-19 lockdown: impact on surface O3 J. Lee et al.
- Geospatial View of Air Pollution and Health Risk Over North Indian Region in COVID-19 Scenario D. Singh et al.
Latest update: 04 May 2026
Mahesh Pathakoti
Analytics and Modelling Division; Land and Atmospheric Physics Division; Earth and Climate Sciences Area, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hyderabad-500037, India
Aarathi Muppalla
Bhuvan Project Management and Software Evaluation Division, Bhuvan Geoportal and Data Dissemination Area, NRSC, ISRO, Hyderabad-500037, India
Sayan Hazra
Department of Computer Science, School of Engineering & Technology, Pondicherry University, Chinna Kalapet, Kalapet, Puducherry-605014, India
Mahalakshmi Dangeti
Analytics and Modelling Division; Land and Atmospheric Physics Division; Earth and Climate Sciences Area, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hyderabad-500037, India
Raja Shekhar
Bhuvan Project Management and Software Evaluation Division, Bhuvan Geoportal and Data Dissemination Area, NRSC, ISRO, Hyderabad-500037, India
Srinivasulu Jella
Analytics and Modelling Division; Land and Atmospheric Physics Division; Earth and Climate Sciences Area, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hyderabad-500037, India
Sesha Sai Mullapudi
Analytics and Modelling Division; Land and Atmospheric Physics Division; Earth and Climate Sciences Area, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hyderabad-500037, India
Prasad Andugulapati
Bhuvan Project Management and Software Evaluation Division, Bhuvan Geoportal and Data Dissemination Area, NRSC, ISRO, Hyderabad-500037, India
Uma Vijayasundaram
Department of Computer Science, School of Engineering & Technology, Pondicherry University, Chinna Kalapet, Kalapet, Puducherry-605014, India
Short summary
Present work carried out analysis of Air pollution over the Indian region in connection with nation's lockdown due to outbreak of COVID-19. We studied air pollutants namely NO2, CO and AOD using the remote sensing data. During the exhaustive 40 days of lock down in India, we observed significant reduction in air pollutants during lock down period compared to no lock down period. This study further shows the effect of lock down on short-term climatological variability of these pollutants.
Present work carried out analysis of Air pollution over the Indian region in connection with...
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