Journal article
Impact of coronavirus-driven reduction in aerosols on precipitation in the western United States
Atmospheric research, Vol.288, 106732
03/29/2023
DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106732
Abstract
Among the many impacts of COVID-19, the pandemic led to improved air quality conditions in the countries under quarantine due to the shutdown of industries, drastically reduced traffic, and lockdowns. Meanwhile, the western United States, particularly the coastal areas from Washington to California, received much less precipitation than normal during early 2020. Is it possible that this reduction in precipitation was driven by the reduced aerosols due to the coronavirus? Here we show that the reduction in aerosols resulted in higher temperatures (up to ~0.5 °C) and generally lower snow amounts but cannot explain the observed low precipitation amounts over this region. In addition to an assessment of the effects of the coronavirus-related reduction in aerosols on precipitation across the western United States, our findings also provide basic information on the potential impacts different mitigation efforts aimed at reducing anthropogenic aerosols would have on the regional climate.
•We focus on the reduced precipitation across the western US during early 2020.•The reduced aerosols due to COVID-19 cannot explain these low precipitation values.•Lower aerosol concentrations led to warmer temperatures (up to ~0.5 °C).•Lower aerosol concentrations led to lower amounts of solid precipitation.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Impact of coronavirus-driven reduction in aerosols on precipitation in the western United States
- Creators
- Zhiqi Yang - Fondazione Centro euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici - CMCC, Bologna, ItalyWei Zhang - Utah State UniversityGabriele Villarini - IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Atmospheric research, Vol.288, 106732
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106732
- ISSN
- 0169-8095
- eISSN
- 1873-2895
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100000104, name: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, award: 80NSSC20K1478; DOI: 10.13039/100017324, name: U.S. Army Engineer Institute for Water Resources
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/29/2023
- Academic Unit
- IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984381024102771
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