Abrupt emissions reductions during COVID-19 contributed to record summer rainfall in China

Yang Yang (), Lili Ren, Mingxuan Wu, Hailong Wang (), Fengfei Song, L. Ruby Leung, Xin Hao, Jiandong Li, Lei Chen, Huimin Li, Liangying Zeng, Yang Zhou, Pinya Wang, Hong Liao, Jing Wang and Zhen-Qiang Zhou
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Yang Yang: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Lili Ren: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Mingxuan Wu: Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Hailong Wang: Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Fengfei Song: Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
L. Ruby Leung: Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Xin Hao: Nanjing University for Information Science and Technology
Jiandong Li: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Lei Chen: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Huimin Li: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Liangying Zeng: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Yang Zhou: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Pinya Wang: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Hong Liao: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Jing Wang: Tianjin Key Laboratory for Oceanic Meteorology, Tianjin Institute of Meteorological Science
Zhen-Qiang Zhou: Fudan University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Record rainfall and severe flooding struck eastern China in the summer of 2020. The extreme summer rainfall occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in China in early 2020 and spread rapidly across the globe. By disrupting human activities, substantial reductions in anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols might have affected regional precipitation in many ways. Here, we investigate such connections and show that the abrupt emissions reductions during the pandemic strengthened the summer atmospheric convection over eastern China, resulting in a positive sea level pressure anomaly over northwestern Pacific Ocean. The latter enhanced moisture convergence to eastern China and further intensified rainfall in that region. Modeling experiments show that the reduction in aerosols had a stronger impact on precipitation than the decrease of greenhouse gases did. We conclude that through abrupt emissions reductions, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed importantly to the 2020 extreme summer rainfall in eastern China.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28537-9

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