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Striking images taken by pollution monitoring satellites show a significant decline in toxic gases over China in recent weeks, likely in part due to an economic slowdown caused by the new coronavirus outbreak, NASA said. A study in February found that China's carbon emissions had fallen by at least 100 million metric tons in the previous fortnight, nearly 6% of global emissions during the same period last year. According to a study carried out by the Energy and Clean Air Research Center in Finland, the rapid spread of the coronavirus caused a drop in demand for coal and oil, leading to a drop in emissions. Chinese authorities have taken drastic measures to contain the virus, curbing the movement of people, temporarily closing factories across the country and quarantining central Hubei province, a key industrial region where the epidemic first emerged. Images released by the space agency show that yellowish nitrogen dioxide obscures a wide area of land north and east of Wuhan, where the virus originated during the first weeks of January.
By mid-February, the cloud had almost completely disappeared. These effects would correlate with Chinese authorities ordering a city-wide quarantine of Wuhan in late January and the disruption of transportation in and out of that city and several others to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Nitrogen dioxide, which is harmful to America Cell Phone Number List human health and the environment, is emitted by motor vehicles, power plants and industrial facilities. China, which has the world's second-largest economy, also saw its manufacturing sector suffer more than expected in February amid efforts to contain the virus, according to an official survey published on Saturday. Fei Liu, an air quality researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, in a statement accompanying the satellite, said: This is the first time I've seen such a dramatic drop over such a wide area for a specific event. NASA acknowledged that the decrease in pollution also coincided with Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations, which can cause businesses and factories to close from late January to early February.
Air pollution levels typically decrease during this time of year due to the holidays and then increase again as the holiday ends, the space agency said. Although Lunar New Year celebrations may have improved air quality, researchers said the region's response to the virus appears to be the most important factor, especially since levels have not recovered after the holidays as they usually do. Fei Liu also commented that: «This year, the rate of reduction is more significant than in previous years and has lasted longer. "I'm not surprised because many cities across the country have taken measures to minimize the spread of the virus."
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發表於 2024-2-19 17:50:56