China’s air pollution dropped dramatically after coronavirus lockdown [ARTICLE]

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The resulting factory closures and fall in motor traffic has meant a sustained drop in noxious nitrogen dioxide, NASA stated on Saturday. There's often a decline in air pollution in parts of China around this time thanks to Lunar New Year. NASA said this year there was more of a decrease than usual. Fei Liu, an air quality researcher at NASA, said: "This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event.” China's lockdown in order to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus has had one unexpected side-effect a sustained drop in air pollution. NASA stated on Saturday that it had seen "Significant decreases" in noxious nitrogen dioxide over China through February. China's cities rank among the most polluted in the world, with Hotan and Kashgar in the top 20 according to an IQAir report. NASA published satellite imagery on Saturday, which you can see above, showing nitrogen dioxide levels in China before and after the country began imposing lockdowns on 23 January. The data came from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-5 satellite, and similar data came from NASA's Aura satellite. Fei Liu, an air quality researcher at NASA, said, "This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event.” There is often a pollution dropoff in China around specific celebrations and events. Factories and other businesses close for the Lunar New Year in late January and early February, leading to a decline in air pollution. Other major events, such as the Beijing Olympics, can also result in a drop but air pollution rates quickly spike back up. NASA stated the decline this year was bigger than usual. In an analysis published in February , CarbonBrief estimated that the coronavirus had cut China's carbon emissions by 25%. China is by far the most impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, with nearly 79,986 cases and more than 2,873 deaths. Source | Create Website | Criar site | Crear sitio web | Créer un site Web