Extreme lockdown measures being imposed around the world are having a noticeable effect on air quality. New data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Copernicus Sentinel Satellite shows how the efforts aimed at combating the spread of COVID-19 have dramatically reduced pollution levels – most notably in China and Italy.
Josef Aschbacher, the ESA’s director of Earth observation programs, said:
Satellites offer a unique vantage point to monitor the health of our planet. Sentinel-5P is one of seven Copernicus satellites in orbit today. It currently provides the most accurate measurements of nitrogen dioxide and other trace gases from space.
As nitrogen dioxide is primarily produced by traffic and factories, it is a first-level indicator of industrial activity worldwide. What is clearly visible is a significant reduction of nitrogen dioxide levels…
Nitrogen dioxide is released into the atmosphere by factories, power plants, and cars. The federal quarantines imposed in China and Italy coincide with the plummeting levels of NO2 in those nations, as revealed by the satellite images. Major Chinese cities between late-January and February and now Italy since March 9 to present have displayed significant reductions.
Aschbacher noted it’s an ironic situation. He said:
It is really a sad indication that the economic activity goes down, but for our planet, that is a relief because the pollution levels are also decreasing. Our planet is beautiful, but also extremely fragile and I think many people see our planet and this pollution caused by human beings from a very different perspective now. So, I think for the climate change discussion, this is certainly an eye-opening observation.
Even on land, the effects are noticeable. For example, Venetians have been reporting cleaner waters in the canals sharing photos of unusually-clear waters on social media. Even the United States has seen a pretty huge drop in it’s major cities.
