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The Gateway of India is shown after the level of air pollution decreased in New Delhi in recent weeks.
All four projects will focus on uneven gains in urban air quality worldwide, the impact of reduced air pollution, air pollution, and the link to water quality, as well as the economic impact of the change in human activity.
- News18.com
- Last update: May 14, 2020, 9:22 a.m. IST
There are many guesses. There are many assumptions. All based on visual indicators that we see in images shared on social networks and elsewhere. Light blue skies in most major cities in the world, swans returning to the canals of Venice, wildlife makes its presence known in some other cities. All of that will soon have accurate statistics that will tell us the exact impact the COVID pandemic has had on pollution levels around the world. NASA is funding four research projects that will collect and analyze data from various sources, including satellites, to give us an accurate picture.
“Such widespread and rapid change in human activity is unprecedented and its effects on our planet and our lives are only just beginning to be realized. NASA’s Division of Earth Sciences is supporting the scientific community as it investigates the many changes that this unique situation has come to light, “says NASA. All four projects will focus on uneven gains in urban air quality worldwide, the impact of reduced air pollution, air pollution, and the link to water quality, as well as the economic impact of the change in human activity. Funding comes from the Rapid Response and Novel Research initiative in Earth Sciences (RRNES).
Perhaps it is very important to understand the reasons why there have been uneven gains in air quality in different cities around the world. According to Susan Anenberg and Dan Goldberg of George Washington University, initial analysis of satellite data seems to suggest that there has been a decrease in NO2 concentrations in cities around the world during the shutdown periods, but it has been inconsistent. They say that the cities of China and Italy have seen a much faster decline in NO2 concentrations as humans entered, compared to some cities in the US. USA “Our project will link satellite remote sensing with weather, traffic counts and other data to shed light on why we are seeing these inconsistent effects of COVID-19 blocks on air quality in different cities around the world,” says Goldberg.
Pollution reduction is having an impact on the atmosphere and University of Buffalo scientist Kang Sun is developing a process that will allow scientists and researchers to understand not only how long these reductions will last, but also how chemistry is changing of the atmosphere. “Using a new data-driven framework that combines satellite and meteorological data, we will take NASA’s satellite assets a step further to quantify emission reductions and their impact on air quality chemistry,” says Sun. The investigation will focus on the polluted regions of the Jianghan Plain, including Wuhan in China, the Po Valley in Italy, and southern California.
The exact changes in pollution levels and how that affects the atmosphere and everything around us will be quite an interesting read. There are no two ways to do it.
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