Nasa has seen a "dramatic" decrease in air pollution in China since the country's fight against the corona virus. Closed factories and paralyzed traffic have particularly improved the air over Wuhan, the home of the epidemic.
Washington (dpa) - The measures to curb the novel corona virus have at least partially led to a decrease in air pollution in China. This emerges from two satellite images released by the US space agency Nasa.
The relatively high nitrogen dioxide emissions in China can be seen there before the coronavirus measures in early January - and the significantly lower emissions in February. The data comes from satellites from NASA and the European space agency Esa.
The decline in nitrogen dioxide emissions was first discovered via Wuhan, according to NASA. Infections with the pathogen Sars-CoV-2 had been reported from the metropolis for the first time, shortly afterwards the city was largely quarantined. Traffic to and from the city was stopped, the factory and company were closed.
The decline in nitrogen dioxide emissions from Wuhan has spread to China. A slight decline can always be observed in the period around the Chinese New Year in late January or early February, but the one observed now lasts much longer.
"It's the first time I've seen such a dramatic decline over such a large area due to a specific event," said Nasa scientist Fei Liu. Previously, a gradual decline was observed, among other things, during the 2008 economic crisis, and also - albeit temporarily and locally - during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Communication from NASA
