NASA confirms a fall in greenhouse gas emissions in China amid coronavirus outbreak
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The decline in economic activity in China due to the coronavirus is now visible from space.
Many experts had already observed a reduction in gas emissions in the country, but now the satellites of the European Copernicus agency have registered an unusual drop in nitrogen dioxide levels. The data was collected by NASA’s ground observation team.
To perform these measurements, NASA’s air quality experts have used the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (IMO) of NASA’s Aura mission.
The slowdown in economic activity in China due to #Coronavirus#COVID19 is easily viewable from space. NO2 emissions have plummeted by unprecedented amounts, and the effects can now been seen even in South Korea. Here is 2019 vs. 2020 data accounting for CYN from Aura OMI: pic.twitter.com/oWIIOMLAym
Launched in 2004, this mission has been collecting global data on NO2 and various air pollutants for more 15 years.
A handout composite picture made available by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of maps showing nitrogen dioxide (NO2) values over the Chinese city of Wuhan during three periods in 2020: (L-R, top row) from 01 to 20 January (before Lunar New Year), from 28 January to 09 February (around New Year celebrations), and from 10 to 25 February (after the event) (issued 01 March 2020). In picture, the 2020 values are compared to the same periods in 2019 for reference (second row). EPA-EFE/NASA HANDOUT —
Experts have also used data from the Sentinel 5 satellite of the European Copernicus ground observation program.
Air quality experts have focused their observations on nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is only detected near the sources of emissions: mainly the burning of fossil fuels from road traffic and industry.
In the midst of the Chinese New Year holiday period, it was difficult to know if it was a reduction linked to the restrictions of the coronavirus epidemic or simply the “truce” of activity of the holidays.
Then also, the meteorological factor has a lot of influence on the concentrations of this gas. To avoid it as much as possible, they have measured on a longer period of a dozen days.
Now scientists are sure that the activity has not resumed as usual after the New Year holidays.
This trend is confirmed in other big cities. In the second half of February, there was hardly no activity.
