Comprehensive Insights Into O<sub>3</sub> Changes During the COVID‐19 From O<sub>3</sub> Formation Regime and Atmospheric Oxidation Capacity
Shengqiang Zhu, James Poetzscher, Juanyong Shen, Siyu Wang, Peng Wang, Hongliang Zhang
Abstract
Abstract Economic activities and the associated emissions have significantly declined during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic, which has created a natural experiment to assess the impact of the emitted precursor control policy on ozone (O 3 ) pollution. In this study, we utilized comprehensive satellite, ground‐level observations, and source‐oriented chemical transport modeling to investigate the O 3 variations during the COVID‐19 pandemic in China. Here, we found that the significant elevated O 3 in the North China Plain (40%) and Yangtze River Delta (35%) were mainly attributed to the enhanced atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) in these regions, associated with the meteorology and emission reduction during lockdown. Besides, O 3 formation regimes shifted from VOC‐limited regimes to NO x ‐limited and transition regimes with the decline of NO x during lockdown. We suggest that future O 3 control policies should comprehensively consider the effects of AOC on the O 3 elevation and coordinated regulations of the O 3 precursor emissions.