How COVID-19 related policies reshaped organic aerosol source contributions in Central London
File(s)acp-25-14825-2025.pdf (4.63 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Chen, Gang
Tremper, Anja
Priestman, Max
Font, Anna
Green, David
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Organic aerosol (OA), a major component of submicron particulate matter (PM1), has significant impacts on both human health and climate. Quantifying its sources is therefore crucial for developing effective mitigation strategies. Positive matrix factorisation (PMF) applied to aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) mass spectral data offers a robust approach for quantifying OA sources. A year-long study of ACSM data from London's Marylebone Road monitoring station during the COVID-19 pandemic provides insights into the impact of lockdown and the Eat Out To Help Out (EOTHO) scheme, which offered support to the hospitality industry during the pandemic, on PM composition and OA sources. Five OA sources were identified including hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA, traffic-related, 11 % to OA), cooking OA (COA, 20 %), biomass burning OA (BBOA, 12 %), more-oxidized oxygenated OA (MO-OOA, 38 %), and less-oxidized oxygenated OA (LO-OOA, 21 %). Lockdown significantly reduced HOA (−52 %), COA (−67 %), and BBOA (−42 %) compared to their pre-COVID levels, while EOTHO doubled COA (+100 %) compared to the post-lockdown period. However, MO-OOA and LO-OOA were less affected, as these primarily originated from long-range transport. This research has demonstrated the importance of commercial cooking as a significant source of OA (20 %) and PM1 (9 %) in urban areas. The co-emission of BBOA with COA observed in Central London showed a similar diurnal cycle and response to the EOTHO policy, indicating that cooking activities might be currently underestimated and contribute to urban BBOA. Therefore, more effort is required to quantify this source and develop targeted abatement policies to mitigate emissions as currently limited regulation is in force.
Editor(s)
Salcedo, Dara
Date Issued
2025-11-14
Date Acceptance
2025-09-23
Citation
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP), 2025, 25 (21), pp.14825-14838
ISSN
1680-7316
Publisher
Copernicus Publications
Start Page
14825
End Page
14838
Journal / Book Title
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP)
Volume
25
Issue
21
Copyright Statement
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
License URL
Identifier
10.5194/acp-25-14825-2025
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2025-11-14