COVID-19’s impact on society and our daily habits has been unprecedented. With a decrease in vehicular traffic and industrial production, a decrease in local emissions was expected to occur. In order to capture any trends in ambient trace gas concentrations, approximately one thousand whole air samples were collected in intervals across the United States from April to July 2020 as part of the NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP). These samples were then analyzed by the UCI Rowland-Blake Lab using multi-column gas chromatography for over one hundred unique trace gases, including methane, non-methane hydrocarbons, and halocarbons, as described in Colman et al. (2001) and Barletta et al. (2002). Initial samples collected in April coincided with the peak of stay-at-home/social distancing orders in most states while samples collected later in the spring and early summer reflect the easing of these measures and initial state reopenings. Overall trends in emissions over time in select metropolitan areas will be discussed and compared to trends observed across the entire United States.

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to sample atmospheric gases during a period of very low industrial/human activity. Over 1000 Whole Air Samples were collected in over 30 cities and towns across the United States from April through July 2020 as part of the NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP). Sample locations leveraged the geographic distribution across the United States of the undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and NASA personnel associated with the internship program (44 people total). Each person collected approximately 24 air samples in their city/town with the goal of characterizing local emissions with time during the pandemic. Samples were collected in 2-Liter stainless steel evacuated canisters at approximately 2 meters above ground level. The canisters were shipped to the Rowland/Blake Laboratory at the University of California Irvine and analyzed for methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, non-methane hydrocarbons, and halocarbons using the gas chromatographic system described in Colman et al. (2001) and Barletta et al. (2002). Initial samples collected in April coincided with the peak of stay-at-home/social distancing orders across most of the United States while samples collected later in the spring and early summer reflect the easing of these measures in most locations. Overall trends in emissions with time across the United States during the pandemic (in several large metro areas as well as rural locations) will be discussed.