COVID‐19 Crisis Reduces Free Tropospheric Ozone Across the Northern Hemisphere
Creators: name: Steinbrecht, Wolfgang
name: Kubistin, Dagmar
name: Plass‐Dülmer, Christian
name: Davies, Jonathan
name: Tarasick, David W.
name: Gathen, Peter Von Der
name: Deckelmann, Holger
name: Jepsen, Nis
name: Kivi, Rigel
name: Lyall, Norrie
name: Palm, Matthias
name: Notholt, Justus
name: Kois, Bogumil
name: Oelsner, Peter
name: Allaart, Marc
name: Piters, Ankie
name: Gill, Michael
name: Van Malderen, Roeland
name: Delcloo, Andy W.
name: Sussmann, Ralf
name: Mahieu, Emmanuel
name: Servais, Christian
name: Romanens, Gonzague
name: Stübi, Rene
name: Ancellet, Gerard
name: Godin‐Beekmann, Sophie
name: Yamanouchi, Shoma
name: Strong, Kimberly
name: Johnson, Bryan
name: Cullis, Patrick
name: Petropavlovskikh, Irina
name: Hannigan, James W.
name: Hernandez, Jose‐Luis
name: Diaz Rodriguez, Ana
name: Nakano, Tatsumi
name: Chouza, Fernando
name: Leblanc, Thierry
name: Torres, Carlos
name: Garcia, Omaira
name: Röhling, Amelie N.
name: Schneider, Matthias
name: Blumenstock, Thomas
name: Tully, Matt
name: Paton‐Walsh, Clare
name: Jones, Nicholas
name: Querel, Richard
name: Strahan, Susan
name: Stauffer, Ryan M.
name: Thompson, Anne M.
name: Inness, Antje
name: Engelen, Richard
name: Chang, Kai‐Lan
name: Cooper, Owen R.
Publisher: name: FID GEO
Year: 2021

description: Throughout spring and summer 2020, ozone stations in the northern extratropics recorded unusually low ozone in the free troposphere. From April to August, and from 1 to 8 kilometers altitude, ozone was on average 7% (≈4 nmol/mol) below the 2000–2020 climatological mean. Such low ozone, over several months, and at so many stations, has not been observed in any previous year since at least 2000. Atmospheric composition analyses from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service and simulations from the NASA GMI model indicate that the large 2020 springtime ozone depletion in the Arctic stratosphere contributed less than one‐quarter of the observed tropospheric anomaly. The observed anomaly is consistent with recent chemistry‐climate model simulations, which assume emissions reductions similar to those caused by the COVID‐19 crisis. COVID‐19 related emissions reductions appear to be the major cause for the observed reduced free tropospheric ozone in 2020.
description: Plain Language Summary: Worldwide actions to contain the COVID‐19 virus have closed factories, grounded airplanes, and have generally reduced travel and transportation. Less fuel was burnt, and less exhaust was emitted into the atmosphere. Due to these measures, the concentration of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) decreased in the atmosphere. These substances are important for photochemical production and destruction of ozone in the atmosphere. In clean or mildly polluted air, reducing nitrogen oxides and/or VOCs will reduce the photochemical production of ozone and result in less ozone. In heavily polluted air, in contrast, reducing nitrogen oxides can increase ozone concentrations, because less nitrogen oxide is available to destroy ozone. In this study, we use data from three types of ozone instruments, but mostly from ozonesondes on weather balloons. The sondes fly from the ground up to 30 kilometers altitude. In the first 8 km, we find significantly reduced ozone concentrations in the northern extratropics during spring and summer of 2020, less than in any other year since at least 2000. We suggest that reduced emissions due to the COVID‐19 crisis have lowered photochemical ozone production and have caused the observed ozone reductions in the troposphere.
description: Key Points: In spring and summer 2020, stations in the northern extratropics report on average 7% (4 nmol/mol) less tropospheric ozone than normal Such low tropospheric ozone, over several months, and at so many sites, has not been observed in any previous year since at least 2000 Most of the reduction in tropospheric ozone in 2020 is likely due to emissions reductions related to the COVID‐19 pandemic
description: NASA | Earth Sciences Division (NASA Earth Science Division) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100014573
description: Gouvernement du Canada | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000038
description: Australian Research Council
description: Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique ‐ FNRS (FNRS) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002661
description: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659
description: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100006360
description: NASA | Earth Sciences Division (NASA Earth Science Division) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100014573