The impact of improved air-quality due to COVID-19 lockdown on surface meteorological parameters and planetary boundary layer over Gadanki, a tropical rural site in India

The nation-wide lockdowns imposed in India during March‐–May 2020 (in four phases) to curb the spread of the novel Corona virus, greatly enhanced the near-surface air-quality due to lowering of industrial, transport and human activities. The present study focuses on the changes in the vertical structure of aerosol concentration and how those changes impacted radiation balance, the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height and surface meteorological parameters. Instrumented tower and Ceilometer measurements made at Gadanki (13.45°N, 79.18°E), located in a rural environment, coupled with satellite-derived Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data have been used to understand the changes in lockdown period. Significant reduction in backscatter density during the lockdown compared to 2019 indicates that aerosol reduction during the lockdown is not only limited to the surface, rather observed in the entire PBL. Except for the fourth phase of lockdown during which several relaxations have been given for vehicular movement and other anthropogenic activities, the reduction in backscatter density is seen in all phases of lockdown. However, the reduction is prominently seen in the second and third phases. The AOD also reduced by 40% around Gadanki, comparable to that of in urban regions. Due to the reduction in aerosols during the lockdown period, the insolation increases by 60 Wm(−2), which is expected to increase the temperature. However, the increased loss of long-wave radiation (due to reduction in trapping gases) and more rain events during the lockdown period decreased the temperature by ~1 °C. Measurements also suggest that the most of net radiation is partitioned into the latent heat flux increasing the humidity and lowering the PBL height (due to reduced strength of thermals and sensible heat flux).