A048-06
COVID-AQS: A rapid response study to monitor air-quality impacts of COVID-19 in Boulder, CO

Tuesday, 8 December 2020: 10:50
Virtual
Aaron Lamplugh1, Matthew Mitchell Coggon1, Georgios Gkatzelis1, Jeff Peischl1, Kenneth C. Aikin2, Michael A Robinson1, Andrew W Rollins3, Carsten Warneke1, Steven S Brown4 and Jessica Gilman4, (1)CIRES and NOAA ESRL, Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, United States, (2)University of Colorado at Boulder, CIRES, Boulder, CO, United States, (3)NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division, Boulder, CO, United States, (4)NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, United States
Recorded Presentation
Abstract:
NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory began collecting atmospheric measurements on March 30th 2020, in response to a COVID-19 stay-at-home order issued one week earlier (March 23rd) for Boulder, CO. Measurements were taken from the David Skaggs Research Center (DSRC) in South Boulder, the same site as previous measurements taken in both 2018 and 2019. COVID - Air Quality Study (COVID-AQS) was designed to monitor the atmospheric impact of COVID-19, assess changes in emission sources, and characterize the effects of changes on air quality. Initial COVID-AQS measurements spanned approximately 6 weeks, beginning when motor vehicle traffic was reduced by more than 60% compared to historical norms, and continuing as vehicle traffic and anthropogenic activity recovered along the Colorado Front Range. Additional measurements were also made starting in July 2020.

Detailed volatile organic compound (VOC) measurements were captured using the NOAA Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS), and were supported by a full suite of atmospheric measurements including high-time-resolution VOCs (from the NOAA PTR-MS), NOx, CO, CO2, H2O CH4, PM (AMS and UHSAS), and meteorology. Other data were also collected and compiled from the Denver-Boulder region including traffic counts, meteorology, and stationary ground site data (NO, NO2, NOy, O3, PM, and CO). The dataset will be used to explore tropospheric variability during COVID-AQS (including primary and secondary emissions), and will be compared to historical DSRC datasets from 2018 and 2019 to determine what variation if any is attributable to COVID-19 related activity.

Here we present a detailed comparison of VOC measurements made during COVID-AQS, and previous measurements taken at NOAA DSRC during the same time period in 2018. Preliminary results show a factor of 2 decrease between 2018 and 2020 median observed VOC mixing ratios for VOC species associated with vehicle emissions, however VOCs associated with solvent use and volatile chemical products like toluene, MEK, isopropanol, and acetone remained similar to 2018 levels. Diurnal comparisons of VOC concentrations indicate a substantial decrease in anthropogenic activity during morning and evening rush hours, with many compounds ceasing to follow typical diurnal patterns altogether.

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