Pollutant Concentration Changes During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Barcelona and Surrounding Regions: Modification of Diurnal Cycles and Limited Role of Meteorological Conditions

One of the consequences of the COVID-19 lockdowns has been the modification of the air quality in many cities around the world. This study focuses on the variations in pollutant concentrations and how important meteorological conditions were for those variations in Barcelona and the surrounding area during the 2020 lockdown. Boundary-layer height, wind speed, and precipitation were compared between mid-March and April 2016-2019 (prelockdown) and the same period in 2020 (during lockdown). The results show the limited influence of meteorological factors on horizontal and vertical dispersion conditions. Compared with the pre-lockdown period, during lockdown the boundary-layer height slightly increased by between 5% and 9%, mean wind speed was very similar, and the fraction of days with rainfall increased only marginally, from 0.33 to 0.34, even though April 2020 was extremely wet in the study area. Variations in nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulatematter with a diameter less than 10 mu m (PM10), and ozone (O-3) concentrations over a 10-year period showed a 66% reduction in NO2, 37% reduction in PM10, and 27% increase in O-3 at a traffic station in Barcelona. The differences in the daily concentration cycle between weekends and weekdays were heavily smoothed for all pollutants considered. The afternoon NO2 peak at the traffic station was suppressed compared with the average daily cycle. The analysis of ozone was extended to the regional scale, revealing lower concentrations at rural sites and higher ones in urban zones, especially in Barcelona and the surrounding area. The results presented not only complement previous air quality COVID-19 lockdown studies but also provide insights into the effects of road-traffic reduction.

Automated summary

This study focused on the air quality variations in Barcelona and the surrounding area during the 2020 lockdown due to COVID-19. The results showed limited influence of meteorological factors on pollutant concentrations, with reductions in NO2 and PM10 levels, and an increase in O-3 levels. Differences in pollution concentration cycles between weekends and weekdays were smoothed, with the afternoon NO2 peak at the traffic station suppressed during lockdown.