The short-term impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on socioeconomic activities in China based on the OMI-NO(2) data

As an air pollutant closely related to urban traffic and heavy industrial capacity, the variation of NO(2) (nitrogen dioxide) concentration can directly reflect the strength of socioeconomic activities. Using the weekly average results of daily product synthesis of tropospheric NO(2) column concentrations from OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) satellite inversion, a weekly-scale variation series of standardized socioeconomic activity index during the Spring Festival period of 2019–2021 is constructed. The results show that the OMI-NO(2) satellite data are in good consistency with ground-based monitoring data; the Spring Festival holiday also suppresses socioeconomic activity in normal years, but the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic leads to an extended period of 2–3 weeks of weakened socioeconomic activity in China after the holiday, while the minimum value of socioeconomic activity intensity decreases by 0.12. Although socioeconomic activity is significantly suppressed in the short term, the intensity of socioeconomic activity rises steadily with the gradual resumption of work and production everywhere from the third week after the Chinese Spring Festival and has reached 60.91% of the highest level before the holiday in the seventh week after the holiday. OMI-NO(2) satellite data can be used for a rapid assessment of the intensity of air pollution emissions and the level of socioeconomic activity in different regions.