(Newswire.net— April 20, 2020) — Billions of people around the world are staying in their homes because of the corona virus pandemic, which in turn affects the way the Earth moves.
Quarantine has reduced the amount of travel for both work and leisure, and many factories are closed. The fact is that a large number of people are working less, which reduced the vibrations on the Earth’s surface.
Quite amazing considering that our planet weighs six sextillions (billion trillion) tons.
Scientists at the Royal Observatory in Belgium were the first to note this decline, saying that “motion of the ground at a frequency of one to 20 hertz [deeper than the sound of double bass, similar to large organs] is much lower since the government implemented isolation measures to fight the COVID-19.
Changes like this have been reported elsewhere in the world. Seismologists in Nepal have recorded decline and inactivity. Researchers at the Paris Institute of Earth Physics said the decrease in the French capital is “dramatic.” Measuring at the Caltech University in the United States described the severe decrease of vibrations in Los Angeles as “seriously wild.”
Besides the seismic activities decrease, also the air and water are globally becoming cleaner.
The satellites record a fall in nitrogen dioxide pollutants emitted by cars, trucks, buses and power plants.
Scientists measuring everyday noise in cities and those exploring the depths of the ocean have noticed that noise levels are declining.
These seismological findings do not mean that the Earth has completely stopped shaking, but the difference is not only important to scientists – it is really useful, as if the whole planet is resting.
The biggest sources of carbon emissions caused by our lifestyles come from three main activities, said Kimberly Nicholas, a researcher at the Lund University Center for Sustainability Studies in Sweden, the NY Times reports.
“Any time you can avoid getting on a plane, getting in a car or eating animal products, that’s a substantial climate saving.”
Coronavirus may be the horrific invisible enemy to the human population but our planet is healing, taking a short break from all of us.