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Satellite observations of changes in air quality during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics
Author(s) -
Witte J. C.,
Schoeberl M. R.,
Douglass A. R.,
Gleason J. F.,
Krotkov N. A.,
Gille J. C.,
Pickering K. E.,
Livesey N.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2009gl039236
Subject(s) - beijing , environmental science , air quality index , satellite , nitrogen dioxide , troposphere , meteorology , pollutant , china , sulfur dioxide , climatology , atmospheric sciences , geography , geology , ecology , chemistry , archaeology , engineering , organic chemistry , aerospace engineering , biology
For the August‐September 2008 Olympic and the Paralympic Games held in Beijing, China, strict controls on pollutant emissions and motor vehicle traffic were imposed on Beijing and neighboring provinces to the South to improve the air quality in and around the city. Satellite measurements over Beijing between July and September showed 43% reductions of tropospheric column nitrogen dioxide, compared to the past three years. When neighboring provinces to the south are included in our analyses, satellite measurements show boundary layer sulfur dioxide reductions of 13% and carbon monoxide reductions of 12% at 700 hPa. Thus, based on satellites observations alone, noticeable reductions in these pollutant tracers were measured during both games.