Analyzing air pollution in China during the Coronavirus pandemic

Results were presented at the Pomona College RAISE Colloqium in Septemer, 2020.
To view the poster, click here
To watch the YouTube video summary, click here

ABSTRACT:
Air pollution poses a major threat to global climate change and public health. In response to the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, China enforced city-wide lockdowns, reducing vehicular traffic and closing some factories. These changes offer the chance to study atmospheric consequences of abrupt emissions reductions. Using publicly-available data from China, six pollutant types are analyzed: sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter < 2.5 microns (PM2.5), and particulate matter < 10 microns (PM10). Before-After Control-Impact analyses are run to distinguish between lockdown effects and seasonality. The hypothesis that these pollutants decrease after lockdown is upheld for SO2, NO2, CO, PM2.5, and PM10, but not O3. While seasonal variation has the most significant effect on NO2, PM2.5, and PM10, lockdown also has a significant effect. However, while seasonal variation significantly affects SO2, CO, and O3, lockdown does not. Changes in PM2.5 are not significantly greater in cities with larger populations or higher industrial gross regional product. Future directions include investigating geographic effects and examining correlations between pollutants. The results of this study can inform future emissions reduction plans.