Global Significant Changes in Formaldehyde (HCHO) Columns Observed From Space at the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sun，Wenfu1; Zhu，Lei1; De Smedt，Isabelle2; Bai，Bin1; Pu，Dongchuan1; Chen，Yuyang1; Shu，Lei1; Wang，Dakang1; Fu，Tzung May1; Wang，Xiaofei3; Yang，Xin1

2021-02-28

COVID-19 HCHO NMVOCs TROPOMI

English

Satellite HCHO data are widely used as a reliable proxy of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) to constrain underlying emissions and chemistry. Here, we examine global significant changes in HCHO columns at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (January–April 2020) compared with the same period in 2019 with observations from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). HCHO columns decline (11.0%) in the Northern China Plain (NCP) because of a combination of meteorological impacts, lower HCHO yields as NO emission plunges (by 36.0%), and reduced NMVOC emissions (by 15.0%) resulting from the lockdown. HCHO columns change near Beijing (+8.4%) due mainly to elevated hydroxyl radical as NO emission decreases in a NO-saturated regime. HCHO columns change in Australia (+17.5%), Northeastern Myanmar of Southeast Asia (+14.9%), Central Africa (+7.8%), and Central America (+18.9%), consistent with fire activities. Our work also points to other changes related to temperature and meteorological variations.

10.1029/2020GL091265

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS

48

4

0094-8276

SCI ; EI

First ; Corresponding

2-s2.0-85101539911

Scopus

WOS:000623802900039

20210909992498

Volatile organic compounds

Organic Compounds:804.1 ; Inorganic Compounds:804.2

1944-8007

NI Journal Papers

GEOSCIENCES

1.School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,China
2.Division of Atmospheric Composition,Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB),Brussels,Belgium
3.Department of Environmental Science and Engineering,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention,Fudan University,Shanghai,China

Sun，Wenfu,Zhu，Lei,De Smedt，Isabelle,et al. Global Significant Changes in Formaldehyde (HCHO) Columns Observed From Space at the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2021-02-28.