While Coronavirus pandemic has confined people to their homes, it has benefitted nature very well. Barred of human activity, environmental pollution dropped significantly. From clear water in Venice to reduced air pollution in northern Italy, quite a lot of changes are happening to the Earth. Wild animals and birds who until were confined themselves to their territory, has started venturing out on empty city roads. Seismometers witnessed a drop in noise levels as human activity decreased letting seismologist under the Earth better. On Earth Day 2020, we take a look at the ways in which nature has changed during the Coronavirus pandemic.
1. Reduced Air Pollution
After Coronavirus lockdown was declared in Italy, the European Space Agency (ESA) said it had observed a considerable decline in emissions of nitrogen dioxide, a noxious gas emitted by power plants, cars and factories, over the Po Valley region in northern Italy. China, where the outbreak started also showed a reduction in pollution after the government imposed travel bans also showed a similar graph. Air Quality in India Improves, Cities Record Low Levels of Pollution As Cars Stay off Roads, Industries Remain Shut Amid Lockdown.
Check Out The Tweet Below:
The northeastern U.S. has seen decreased levels of nitrogen dioxide air pollution — a result of #COVID19 activity restrictions. Initial @NASA satellite data appear to show ~30% lower levels of NO2 in the region in March 2020 compared to the average March.https://t.co/ugFbtvEuzg pic.twitter.com/1LOnNkoRIE
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) April 9, 2020
2. Reduced Seismic Noise
Seismologists across countries are observing a lot less ambient seismic noise which is generally caused by vibrations of cars, trains, buses and people following their daily routine. Now, with the absence of that noise, Earth's upper crust is moving just a little less. In Brussels, human-induced seismic noise fell by about one-third. With this, the observatory is now better equipped to detect waves in the same high-frequency range as the noise. The facility’s surface seismometer is now almost as sensitive to small quakes and quarry blasts as a counterpart detector buried in a 100-metre borehole.
Check Out The Tweet Below:
Here's daily mode noise power from a station in Los Angeles over the past month; the drop is seriously wild.
Graph made on IRIS MUSTANG: https://t.co/aTfnmL6kBB pic.twitter.com/rdgzZxMcAU
— Celeste Labedz (@celestelabedz) March 26, 2020
3. More Animals on Road
Protective Security Officers tracked a suspect wearing a grey fur coat hopping through the heart of the #adelaide CBD this morning. He was last seen on foot heading into the West Parklands 🦘🚔👮#animaltakeover #whatsthatskip #kangaroo #cityslicker pic.twitter.com/JPyVXIYQRw
— South Australia Police (@SAPoliceNews) April 19, 2020
With the reduced human activity across countries, wild animals and birds were spotted roaming freely on streets. From wild cat, bears, mountain goats, foxes, coyote, monkeys, deer, puma, peacocks and even ducks were seen walking on empty city roads. With humans not having an obstacle, nature seems to be reclaiming what rightfully belongs to it. Peacocks, Deer And Dolphins Spotted in Mumbai! Animals Seen Roaming Freely As Humans Remain in Lockdown (See Pictures & Videos)
4. Clean Beaches And Skies
These pics are NOT the Caribbean or the Bahamas. This is Miami. It’s been only 2 1/2 weeks since they closed the beaches here & while our beaches are always beautiful, this week the color & clarity of the water DAZZLED. It legit took my breath away. This should give us all pause pic.twitter.com/L3330vUliE
— Louis Aguirre (@LOUISAGUIRRE) April 5, 2020
With humans inside their homes, the world outside looks a lot more beautiful. Many beaches across countries pose a clean look as if someone just swept it clean. Also, the skies have dramatically become clearer with a decrease in human activities that cause pollution.
Watch The Video Below:
Very beautiful white mountains of Himachal visible from Hoshiarpur due to #lockdown #9baje9minute pic.twitter.com/vjMqXF8h13
— Gaurav Nanda (@grvnanda) April 3, 2020
Residents of Hoshiarpur in Punjab woke up to see the snow-capped Himalayas in front of them due to reduced air pollution. What a blissful sight!
Coronavirus pandemic is sure to have left a lasting impact on the lives of humans. On when side, when the human toll was mounting up terribly, on the other side nature was healing. There was a considerable fall in the carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide and improvement in air quality. People with breathing problems, found it easy to get through the season. While scientists have been highlighting the dire consequences of climate change and global warming, world governments hardly took any initiative for the betterment. Now, nature has found its own way to heal forcing people to their homes.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 21, 2020 07:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).