Impact of Shutdown due to COVID-19 Pandemic on Aerosol Characteristics in Kanpur, India

• Published in: Journal of Health and Pollution
• Main Authors: Nidhi Shukla, Gautam Kumar Sharma, Parinita Baruah, V. K. Shukla, Prashant Gargava
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Pure Earth 2020
• Subjects: covid-19; kanpur; aerosol; aeronet; air quality; Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering; TD1-1066; Aerosol Robotic Network
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5696/2156-9614-10.28.201201; https://doaj.org/article/feac549a9fcd4e8a8ff74d526c7deaf6

Background. Since March 2020, the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases have steadily risen in India. Various preventive measures have been taken to contain the spread of COVID-19. With restrictions on human activities, anthropogenic emissions driving air pollution levels have seen a reduction since March 23, 2020, when the government imposed the first nationwide shutdown. The landlocked Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) has many densely-populated cities, witnessing high levels of particulate matter due to both nature-driven and anthropogenic elements. Kanpur is an urban metropolis in the IGP with high aerosol loading, and this paper explores the impact of restricted anthropogenic activities on aerosol characteristics in Kanpur. Objectives. This study aims to investigate the change in aerosol optical depth level and its related parameters during the shutdown phases in Kanpur city compared to the same time periods in 2017–2019. Methods. Aerosol optical properties such as aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm, Angstrom exponent (AE), fine mode fraction (FMF) of AOD at 500 nm and single scattering albedo (SSA) at 440 nm were obtained from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) station operating in Kanpur from the 1st March to the 30th April for 2017–2020. Results. A significant decrease in aerosol loading was observed during the shutdown period compared to the pre-and partial shutdown periods in 2020 as well as during the same time periods of 2017–2019. Mean AOD, FMF and SSA were 0.37, 0.43 and 0.89, respectively, during the shutdown period in 2020. A 20–35% reduction in mean AOD levels was observed during the shutdown period in 2020 as compared to the same period in 2017–2019. Conclusions. The shutdown led to an improvement in air quality due to decreases in anthropogenic emissions. As fine particles, typically from urban and industrial emissions, dominate episodic air pollution events, this study can be further utilized by the scientific community and regulators to strengthen the emergency response action plan to ...