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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Spatiotemporal Variations of Air Pollutants before
and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chengdu
1
Chengdu Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,
Chengdu 610000, China
2
Chengdu Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu 610000, China
3
Tongjiang County Medical Community Development Guidance Center, Bazhong 636000, China
Submission date: 2026-01-23
Final revision date: 2026-06-04
Acceptance date: 2026-07-31
Online publication date: 2026-09-08
Corresponding author
Cunyao Pan
Health Education & Health Promotion Department, Chengdu Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Longtan First Road, 636000, chengdu, China
Health Education & Health Promotion Department, Chengdu Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Longtan First Road, 636000, chengdu, China
Shuangfeng Fan
Chengdu Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 610000, China
Chengdu Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 610000, China
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus) had
severe health, social, and economic impacts across the globe. However, the reduction in air pollution
resulting from travel restrictions emerged as a beacon of hope. This study focused on Chengdu, China,
using a generalized additive model and time series analysis to assess air quality changes during the
lockdown. The research revealed a notable decrease in the Air Quality Index, nitrogen dioxide (NO2),
and particulate matter concentrations, with NO2 showing the most pronounced response to reduced
emissions from control measures. However, Chengdu experienced a relatively smaller decline in air
pollution compared to other major Chinese cities. After the implementation of Class B measures in
response to COVID-19, air pollutant concentrations in Chengdu significantly increased in February and
March 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 and model-predicted values, despite little difference
in annual average levels between the two years. The study suggested that the topography of the Sichuan
Basin, with unique meteorological conditions such as temperature inversions and humidity anomalies,
hindered pollutant dispersion and potentially reduced the likelihood of airborne virus transmission.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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