Abstract View
Air Quality in Atlanta during the COVID-19 Pandemic
JEAN RIVERA-RIOS, Taekyu Joo, Chris Peng, Jennifer Kaiser, Nga Lee Ng, Georgia Institute of Technology
Abstract Number: 432
Working Group: The Role of Aerosol Science in the Understanding of the Spread and Control of COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented reductions in anthropogenic activities in the US and around the world. We conducted air quality measurements at the Georgia Institute of Technology campus starting the last week of April with the goal of understanding the effects of reduced activity on air quality. The sampling site is 840 m away from Interstate 75/85 and 30−40m above ground. Multiple studies have been performed at this site in previous years. The available instrumentation includes NO, NO2 and O3 measurements as well as speciated aerosol components measured using a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS). Volatile Organic Compounds were measured using a Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS). We compare these measurements with similar measurements performed in summer 2019 at the same site and with monitoring stations located throughout the city. Results indicate reductions in anthropogenic emissions of NO and NO2. Aerosol mass loadings appear to be lowered as well, although it is difficult to attribute these reductions solely to the pandemic.