COVID-19 and Air Quality

Regional Air Quality and Other Information Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the significant change in air pollutant emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are opportunities to investigate how these changes affect air quality throughout the Ozone Transport Region. To promote collaborative opportunities among the research community and air quality agencies, this webpage provides a listing of on-going and past air quality data measurements and air quality researchers collecting potentially relevant data sets. The focus is on the Ozone Transport Region, but some of the listed resources include national (U.S.) and global data sets. In addition, several links are also included for state-level projections of COVID-19 health metrics and trends in activity levels.

Trends in Covid Health Metrics

Trends in Activity

Links to Current and Historical AQ Data Sets and Resources

Researchers with On-going Data Collection and Analysis Activities

  • Health Effects Institute, Examining the Intersection of Air Pollution Exposure and COVID-19, Five HEI Studies Funded Under RFA 20-1B
    • Prof. Kai Chen, Yale University
    • Prof. Zorana Andersen, University of Copenhagen
    • Prof. Michael Kleeman, University of California-Davis
    • Prof. Jeanette Stingone, Columbia University
    • Prof. Cathryn Tonne, ISGlobal
  • Prof./Director Tim Canty, Dept of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland (tcanty [at] umd.edu)
    • Satellite data analysis, AQ modeling
  • Prof. Drew Gentner, Chemical & Environmental Engineering/Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University (drew.gentner [at] yale.edu)
    • Yale Coastal Field Station (coastal Connecticut (Guilford, CT), downwind NYC): On-going measurements of O3, PM2.5, black carbon, NOx, CO, CO2
  • Prof. Kirsten Koehler, Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University (kkoehle1 [at] jhu.edu) and Prof. Drew Gentner, Yale (see above)
    • Baltimore SEARCH Network (EPA-funded center with 45-node monitoring network): On-going measurements of PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NOx, CO, CO2, O3, CH4
  • Prof. Róisín Commane and Dr. Luke Schiferl, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University (r.commane [at] columbia.edu, schiferl [at] ldeo.columbia.edu)
    • CUNY ASRC in NYC at 133rd and St. Nicholas -- measuring CO2, CH4 and CO on the NOAA/WMO scale since 1/2/2020, with calibration standards from Prof. Lee Murray, Univ. of Rochester
    • Historical data set of GHG measurements (CO2, 13CO2, CO, CH4, C2H6, N2O) during Feb-June 2019
    • Running atmospheric transport models
  • Prof. Russ Dickerson and Dr. Xinrong Ren, RAMMPP, University of Maryland-College Park (rrd [at] umd.edu, ren [at] umd.edu)
    • University of Maryland-College Park rooftop monitoring of wind speed, wind direction, temperature, relative humidity, CO, CO2, CH4, SO2, NO2, O3, aerosol scattering (3 wavelengths)
    • I-95 roadside monitoring of NOx, CO, black carbon, PM2.5, CO2, CH4
  • Prof. John Mak, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University (john.mak [at] stonybrook.edu)
    • NYC at 133rd and St. Nicholas - High resolution proton transfer time of flight mass spectrometer measurements of VOCs, including oxygenated and unsaturated species
  • Prof. Fred Moshary, City College of New York/NOAA CREST (Moshary [at] ccny.cuny.edu)
    • NASA AERONET CIMEL radiometer measurements at CCNY & Princeton
    • Microwave Thermodynamic Profiling Radiometer at CCNY
    • Luft CHM15K Ceilometer LIDAR at CCNY
    • On-going NYS DEC monitoring at CCNY for O3, CO, PM2.5
    • Analysis from TROPOMI , MODIS and GOES-16 satellite observations
    • Also analyzing aerosols/PM2.5 and other trace gases
  • Dr. Dan Westervelt, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University (danielmw [at] ldeo.columbia.edu)
    • NYC - Several low cost PM2.5 monitors, including at Queens College
    • Analysis of historical regulatory PM2.5 data from March 2015-2019 and comparing to March 2020
  • Dirk Felton, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (dirk.felton [at] dec.ny.gov)
    • Continuing state-wide monitoring
    • Analysis of trends for UFP, CO, NO2, PM2.5, NOx, black carbon, NO at near-road site in Queens
    • Additional trends analysis and comparisons of data from monitoring sites at Rochester and Pinnacle State Park, NY
  • Prof. James Schwab, ASRC, University at Albany, State University of New York (jschwab [at] albany.edu)
    • Pinnacle State Park, NY: O3, NO/NO2/NOy/HNO3, SO2, CO, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, solar radiation, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, PM2.5 and species (CSN 1 in 3), particle number (ultrafine), back scattering, continuous pSO4, toxic canisters (1 in 6), and CH4 by Lee Murray's group, Univ. Rochester
    • Whiteface Summit, NY: O3, NO/NO2/NOy, SO2, CO, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, particle number
    • Whiteface Lodge, NY: O3, NO/NO2/NOy, SO2, CO, met parameters from NYS mesonet, PM2.5 and species (CSN 1 in 6), back scattering, and CH4 by Lee Murray's group, Univ. Rochester
  • Prof. Maria Tzortziou, Earth and Atmospheric Science, CUNY NOAA CREST/NASA GSFC (mtzortziou [at] ccny.cuny.edu)
    • CCNY CDI/CUNY ASRC in NYC at 133rd and St. Nicholas : On-going, high frequency Pandora measurements of atmospheric trace gases (O3, NO2, HCHO, etc)
    • Satellite air-quality data analysis