MERRA-2 and OMI aided assessment of the effect of major air pollutants on surface temperatures

Abstract

Abstract We attempted to show the effect of lockdown on the aerosol, black carbon, dust, and organic carbon loads and their influence on moderating surface temperatures. This study produced and interpreted Time-averaged maps for three phases, i.e., pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown phases. We observed a 4% increase in black carbon loads during the lockdown period compared to pre-lockdown and a 27% increase in the post-lockdown period. It was observed that there was a 6% increase in dust loads during the lockdown period and a 5% increase in the post-lockdown period when compared with pre-lockdown levels. Approximately a 48% increase in organic carbon loads during the lockdown period and a 24% increase in the post-lockdown period was observed. We observed a 12% increase in surface temperatures during the lockdown period and almost no considerable increase in the post-lockdown period.