Ozone and Particulate Matter Variations in Southwest Ohio, USA, during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020
Abstract In this study, ozone and particulate matter variations from four monitoring stations in the Southwest Ohio region were analyzed at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and compared with those in 2019. These stations include a U.S. EPA NCore site (Taft), an urban-suburban site...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Aerosol and Air Quality Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.220052 |
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| author | Allison Gouge Deshui Xu Rachel Tumbleson Simone Balachandran Mingming Lu |
| author_facet | Allison Gouge Deshui Xu Rachel Tumbleson Simone Balachandran Mingming Lu |
| author_sort | Allison Gouge |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In this study, ozone and particulate matter variations from four monitoring stations in the Southwest Ohio region were analyzed at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and compared with those in 2019. These stations include a U.S. EPA NCore site (Taft), an urban-suburban site (Sycamore), an industrial source site (Yankee) and a residential site near the source (Amanda). The air quality time series were broken down to the lockdown period (March 23–May 31) and the re-opening periods from June to December, 2020. Publicly available monitoring data on PM2.5, ozone and PM10 were used for analysis. PM2.5 reductions were non-uniform with strong seasonal variations. PM2.5 reductions were 4.04%, 15.6%, 11.63% at Sycamore, Taft and Yankee sites respectively during the lockdown, but increased 11.23% at Amanda. Reductions at Taft may be related to traffic restrictions while those at Yankee may be due to both reduced industrial production and source control measures. Ozone reductions were 7.94% and 6.50% at Sycamore and Taft sites during the lockdown with Sycamore having higher ozone concentrations pre, during and post lockdown. Ozone formation is NOx-limited in Southwest Ohio region and the variations are uniform. Lower temperatures during the lockdown and fall of 2020 can also be a contributing factor. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of combined ozone and PM2.5 improved during the pandemic year. Consistent with a few other studies, COVID-19 restrictions did not bring uniform air pollutant reductions to the Southwest Ohio region. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aacfdfb702874869a1141ee916a737d5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1680-8584 2071-1409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
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| series | Aerosol and Air Quality Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-aacfdfb702874869a1141ee916a737d52025-08-20T03:10:53ZengSpringerAerosol and Air Quality Research1680-85842071-14092022-09-01221111110.4209/aaqr.220052Ozone and Particulate Matter Variations in Southwest Ohio, USA, during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020Allison Gouge0Deshui Xu1Rachel Tumbleson2Simone Balachandran3Mingming Lu4Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati (UC)Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati (UC)Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati (UC)Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati (UC)Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati (UC)Abstract In this study, ozone and particulate matter variations from four monitoring stations in the Southwest Ohio region were analyzed at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and compared with those in 2019. These stations include a U.S. EPA NCore site (Taft), an urban-suburban site (Sycamore), an industrial source site (Yankee) and a residential site near the source (Amanda). The air quality time series were broken down to the lockdown period (March 23–May 31) and the re-opening periods from June to December, 2020. Publicly available monitoring data on PM2.5, ozone and PM10 were used for analysis. PM2.5 reductions were non-uniform with strong seasonal variations. PM2.5 reductions were 4.04%, 15.6%, 11.63% at Sycamore, Taft and Yankee sites respectively during the lockdown, but increased 11.23% at Amanda. Reductions at Taft may be related to traffic restrictions while those at Yankee may be due to both reduced industrial production and source control measures. Ozone reductions were 7.94% and 6.50% at Sycamore and Taft sites during the lockdown with Sycamore having higher ozone concentrations pre, during and post lockdown. Ozone formation is NOx-limited in Southwest Ohio region and the variations are uniform. Lower temperatures during the lockdown and fall of 2020 can also be a contributing factor. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of combined ozone and PM2.5 improved during the pandemic year. Consistent with a few other studies, COVID-19 restrictions did not bring uniform air pollutant reductions to the Southwest Ohio region.https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.220052COVID-19LockdownPM2.5OzoneSouthwest Ohio |
| spellingShingle | Allison Gouge Deshui Xu Rachel Tumbleson Simone Balachandran Mingming Lu Ozone and Particulate Matter Variations in Southwest Ohio, USA, during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 Aerosol and Air Quality Research COVID-19 Lockdown PM2.5 Ozone Southwest Ohio |
| title | Ozone and Particulate Matter Variations in Southwest Ohio, USA, during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 |
| title_full | Ozone and Particulate Matter Variations in Southwest Ohio, USA, during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 |
| title_fullStr | Ozone and Particulate Matter Variations in Southwest Ohio, USA, during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ozone and Particulate Matter Variations in Southwest Ohio, USA, during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 |
| title_short | Ozone and Particulate Matter Variations in Southwest Ohio, USA, during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 |
| title_sort | ozone and particulate matter variations in southwest ohio usa during the covid 19 pandemic in 2020 |
| topic | COVID-19 Lockdown PM2.5 Ozone Southwest Ohio |
| url | https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.220052 |
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