Air Quality Change in Seoul, South Korea under COVID-19 Social Distancing: Focusing on PM 2.5

Beom-Soon Han, Kyeongjoo Park, Kyung-Hwan Kwak, Seung-Bu Park, Han-Gyul Jin, Sungju Moon, Jong-Won Kim and Jong-Jin Baik
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Beom-Soon Han: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Kyeongjoo Park: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Kyung-Hwan Kwak: School of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
Seung-Bu Park: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Han-Gyul Jin: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Sungju Moon: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Jong-Won Kim: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Jong-Jin Baik: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-12

Abstract: Seoul, the most populous city in South Korea, has been practicing social distancing to slow down the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and other air pollutants measured in Seoul over the two 30 day periods before and after the start of social distancing are analyzed to assess the change in air quality during the period of social distancing. The 30 day mean PM 2.5 concentration decreased by 10.4% in 2020, which is contrasted with an average increase of 23.7% over the corresponding periods in the previous 5 years. The PM 2.5 concentration decrease was city-wide and more prominent during daytime than at nighttime. The concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) decreased by 16.9% and 16.4%, respectively. These results show that social distancing, a weaker forcing toward reduced human activity than a strict lockdown, can help lower pollutant emissions. At the same time, synoptic conditions and the decrease in aerosol optical depth over the regions to the west of Seoul support that the change in Seoul’s air quality during the COVID-19 social distancing can be interpreted as having been affected by reductions in the long-range transport of air pollutants as well as local emission reductions.

Keywords: COVID-19; social distancing; PM 2.5; urban air quality; Seoul; air quality monitoring station (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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