The Impact of Traffic and Meteorology on Urban Particle Mass and Particle Number Concentrations: Student-Led Studies Using Mobile Measurements before, during, and after the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns

Abstract

A series of student-led research activities were performed using a cargo bicycle equipped with air chemistry instrumentation to study the dynamics of aerosol particles in urban air before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown periods. The studies examined a high-traffic route and a low-traffic route around the city center of Münster, Germany. A complex picture emerged for how the particle number concentrations (PN) and particle mass concentrations (PM, specifically PM10) were affected by the day of the week, the route selected, the meteorological conditions, and the traffic intensity. Traffic had the most impact on PN through the multitude of exhaust plumes from motorized vehicles. The impact of traffic on PM10 was rather low, which is also mirrored in the general pattern of the low response of PM10 to the pandemic lockdown in Germany. Instead, PM10 responded more to the day of the week. Presumably, PM10 responds either to a specific traffic component, such as commercial low-duty vehicles, or to other business, such as construction activity. Meteorological conditions exert their impact mostly through the relative humidity, which affects particle growth. As such, future research could examine PN and PM10 responses over all seasons of the year. In any case, this student-led study in which high-resolution data were acquired deepened our understanding and broadened our view on particle dynamics in urban air. Well-trained university graduates will contribute to meeting further challenges in studying and combatting air pollution.