Air Quality Index, Indicatory Air Pollutants and Impact of COVID-19 Event on the Air Quality near Central China
Abstract Both the air quality index (AQI) and indicatory air pollutants of Anqing, Hefei, and Suzhou near central China from 2017 to 2019, and the impact of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control actions on air quality were investigated. The combined data for the three cities from 2017 to 2019 ind...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Aerosol and Air Quality Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.04.0139 |
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| author | Kaijie Xu Kangping Cui Li-Hao Young Ya-Fen Wang Yen-Kung Hsieh Shun Wan Jiajia Zhang |
| author_facet | Kaijie Xu Kangping Cui Li-Hao Young Ya-Fen Wang Yen-Kung Hsieh Shun Wan Jiajia Zhang |
| author_sort | Kaijie Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Both the air quality index (AQI) and indicatory air pollutants of Anqing, Hefei, and Suzhou near central China from 2017 to 2019, and the impact of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control actions on air quality were investigated. The combined data for the three cities from 2017 to 2019 indicated that the lowest AQI (averaged 78.1) occurred in the summer season, for which the AQI proportions for classes I, II, III, IV, V, and VI were 25.6%, 49.9%, 21.9%, 2.7%, 0%, and 0%, respectively. The highest (AQI average of 112.6) was in winter, for which the proportions were 7.4%, 39.5%, 33.3%, 12.5%, 7.2%, and 0.1%, respectively. PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 in order were the most important indicatory air pollutants for AQI classes IV, V, and VI, which all prevailed in winter and spring, while O3 was the indicatory air pollutant that occurred most in summer. The COVID-19 event, which triggered global attention, broke out at the end of 2019. This study also investigated and compared the air quality levels in the three cities from January to March 2017–2019 with those in 2020. The results showed that during February 2020, in the three cities, the average ambient air concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, CO, and NO2 were 41.9 µg m−3, 50.1 µg m−3, 2.18 ppb, 0.48 ppm, and 8.97 ppb, and were 46.5%, 48.9%, 52.5%, 36.2%, and 52.8%, respectively, lower than those in the same month in 2017–2019, respectively. However, the O3 average concentration (80.6 ppb) did not show significant fluctuations and even slightly increased by 3.6%. This is because a lower concentration of NO2 resulted in constraints on the reaction of NO + O3, so the O3 level could not be effectively further reduced. In addition, this study also analyzed and compared the five highest daily AQIs from February 2017–2019 with those of 2020 for the three cities. The mean AQI for the 5 days with the highest daily AQI (averaged 122.6) in February 2020 was 45.1% lower than that for February 2017–2019 (averaging 223.2), and the indicatory air pollutant was always PM2.5, which decreased by 46.7% (from 173.6 to 92.6 µg m−3). It is clear that during the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control action periods, the air quality near central China improved significantly. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c305b1c2349f412e8b69d694c8213c1b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1680-8584 2071-1409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
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| series | Aerosol and Air Quality Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-c305b1c2349f412e8b69d694c8213c1b2025-02-09T12:18:56ZengSpringerAerosol and Air Quality Research1680-85842071-14092020-05-012061204122110.4209/aaqr.2020.04.0139Air Quality Index, Indicatory Air Pollutants and Impact of COVID-19 Event on the Air Quality near Central ChinaKaijie Xu0Kangping Cui1Li-Hao Young2Ya-Fen Wang3Yen-Kung Hsieh4Shun Wan5Jiajia Zhang6School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of TechnologySchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of TechnologyDepartment of Occupational Safety and Health, China Medical UniversityDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Chung-Yuan Christian UniversityMarine Ecology and Conservation Research Center, National Academy of Marine ResearchSchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of TechnologySchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of TechnologyAbstract Both the air quality index (AQI) and indicatory air pollutants of Anqing, Hefei, and Suzhou near central China from 2017 to 2019, and the impact of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control actions on air quality were investigated. The combined data for the three cities from 2017 to 2019 indicated that the lowest AQI (averaged 78.1) occurred in the summer season, for which the AQI proportions for classes I, II, III, IV, V, and VI were 25.6%, 49.9%, 21.9%, 2.7%, 0%, and 0%, respectively. The highest (AQI average of 112.6) was in winter, for which the proportions were 7.4%, 39.5%, 33.3%, 12.5%, 7.2%, and 0.1%, respectively. PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 in order were the most important indicatory air pollutants for AQI classes IV, V, and VI, which all prevailed in winter and spring, while O3 was the indicatory air pollutant that occurred most in summer. The COVID-19 event, which triggered global attention, broke out at the end of 2019. This study also investigated and compared the air quality levels in the three cities from January to March 2017–2019 with those in 2020. The results showed that during February 2020, in the three cities, the average ambient air concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, CO, and NO2 were 41.9 µg m−3, 50.1 µg m−3, 2.18 ppb, 0.48 ppm, and 8.97 ppb, and were 46.5%, 48.9%, 52.5%, 36.2%, and 52.8%, respectively, lower than those in the same month in 2017–2019, respectively. However, the O3 average concentration (80.6 ppb) did not show significant fluctuations and even slightly increased by 3.6%. This is because a lower concentration of NO2 resulted in constraints on the reaction of NO + O3, so the O3 level could not be effectively further reduced. In addition, this study also analyzed and compared the five highest daily AQIs from February 2017–2019 with those of 2020 for the three cities. The mean AQI for the 5 days with the highest daily AQI (averaged 122.6) in February 2020 was 45.1% lower than that for February 2017–2019 (averaging 223.2), and the indicatory air pollutant was always PM2.5, which decreased by 46.7% (from 173.6 to 92.6 µg m−3). It is clear that during the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control action periods, the air quality near central China improved significantly.https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.04.0139COVID-19AQIPM2.5PM10SO2CO |
| spellingShingle | Kaijie Xu Kangping Cui Li-Hao Young Ya-Fen Wang Yen-Kung Hsieh Shun Wan Jiajia Zhang Air Quality Index, Indicatory Air Pollutants and Impact of COVID-19 Event on the Air Quality near Central China Aerosol and Air Quality Research COVID-19 AQI PM2.5 PM10 SO2 CO |
| title | Air Quality Index, Indicatory Air Pollutants and Impact of COVID-19 Event on the Air Quality near Central China |
| title_full | Air Quality Index, Indicatory Air Pollutants and Impact of COVID-19 Event on the Air Quality near Central China |
| title_fullStr | Air Quality Index, Indicatory Air Pollutants and Impact of COVID-19 Event on the Air Quality near Central China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Air Quality Index, Indicatory Air Pollutants and Impact of COVID-19 Event on the Air Quality near Central China |
| title_short | Air Quality Index, Indicatory Air Pollutants and Impact of COVID-19 Event on the Air Quality near Central China |
| title_sort | air quality index indicatory air pollutants and impact of covid 19 event on the air quality near central china |
| topic | COVID-19 AQI PM2.5 PM10 SO2 CO |
| url | https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.04.0139 |
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