The Spring Festival Effect: The change in NO2 column concentration in China caused by the migration of human activities

The Spring Festival is the most important holiday in China, and human activity and population mobility may contribute greatly to air quality. According to the satellite-based tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) column and ground-based observational concentration of NO2 in megacities from 2013 to 2018 around the Spring Festival, we found that NO2 concentration obviously decreases, presenting a tide phenomenon, particularly in the megacities, with the tropospheric NO2 column density decreasing by 31.8%-44.5%. The tropospheric NO2 column density in Beijing decreased by 41.6% and rebounded by 22.3% after the festival. Vehicle sources were among the important causes of NOx emissions in the megacities, and traffic intensity decreased significantly during the festival. As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic progresses, the traffic intensity in urban areas is decreasing significantly, with the tropospheric NO2 column density decreasing by 56.2% and rebounding by only 6.8% in 2020, without the tide phenomenon.

Automated summary

The Spring Festival in China significantly improves air quality in major cities, with a notable decrease in NO2 concentration due to reduced traffic. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced urban traffic has led to an improvement in air quality without the notable tide phenomenon seen during the Spring Festival.