[High-frequency Responses to the COVID-19 Shutdown of Heavy Metal Elements in PM2.5 in Shanghai]

Cheng, Kai; Chang, Yun-Hua; Kuang, Ya-Qiong; Zou, Zhong

To study the evolution and sources of heavy metal elements in the urban atmosphere before, during (overlapped with Chinese Lunar New Year), and after China's COVID-19 shutdown, a multi-metal online analyzer was deployed to determine the trace elements in PM2.5 in Shanghai from January 1 to February 26, 2020. Meanwhile, source apportionment of the hourly measured heavy metal concentrations was performed using a PMF model, in which eight sources were identified. The results show that the concentrations of most elements presented a "V-shaped" trend, which was mainly influenced by emissions from fireworks (K, Cu, Ba as indicative elements), Se-related industry, road dust (Ca, Fe, Ba), and motor vehicles (Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu). However, during the COVID-19 shutdown period, the concentrations of K, Ba, and Cu were high. Case-specific analysis suggested that prior to the shutdown period, the high concentrations of Cu were significantly influenced by long-range transport, which shifted to a dominant contribution from local fireworks during the shutdown period.