The variability of NO2 concentrations over China based on satellite and influencing factors analysis during 2019–2021

The variation of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) vertical column densities (VCDs) indirectly reflects the difference in pollution emissions from industrial production and transportation. Accurately analyzing its pollution sources and driving factors plays an important role in energy conservation, emission reduction, and air pollution reduction. NO2 concentration products of Sentinel-5P (Sentinel-5 Precursor) TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) from 2019 to 2021 and Aura OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) from 2009 to 2021, combined with China’s main energy consumption, the growth value of the industry, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and other data were used to analyze the influencing factors of NO2 variations. Firstly, NO2 tropospheric vertical column densities (NO2 TVCDs) of China increased by 14.72% and 3.26% in 2021 and 2020 compared with the 2019. The secondary and tertiary industry and the national energy consumption increased synchronously, which was highly related to the increase in NO2 TVCDs. Secondly, the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) on China’s industrial production and residents was mainly concentrated in the first quarter of 2020, which leading to a decline in the annual average NO2 concentration in densely populated areas in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The industrial production scale and production capacity has gradually recovered since April 2020, and the NO2 concentration has gradually reached or exceeded the level of the same period of 2019. Finally, atmospheric pollution prevention and control measures played a positive role in the decline of NO2 of China.