https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-pandemic-air-pollution-ozone-shutdown
Pandemic Air
Once humanity around late march began to come to a complete shutdown, so did pollution in most-ways.
Air qualities around the world began to be the best they have been in over 100 years. Now, why is such a thing happening?! Humans can’t be that bad, can they?
In short yes, we have been that bad. Since traveling in most ways besides walking and biking came to a stop so did its pollution. Most people couldn’t go back on their daily work commutes so this caused emissions to lower. Around that time they fell by 17% which doesn’t seem like alot but that is on the global scale in just a few months; (total CO2 emissions). Keep in mind over a whole year it was only reduced by 7% globally which is still a big number in terms of study.
This period allowed for scientists to heavily study air pollutants and their effects as they could measure the effects once life began to pick up again. One thing found is that cities had a decent decrease in nitrogen levels which was way too high for healthy plants to thrive. Because of this spring had a slight uptick in greenery.
Now for the last of it, scientists throughout these studies have now found out to regulate its usage during summer as it creates a toxic air “soup” that chokes plants and life. Overall the pandemic has caused so many scientific breakthroughs than most of us thought in medicine and in biology!
Has air quality ever affected you? (Asthma trigger or bad allergies)?
Why might scientists not regulate Nitrogen production as much in the winter?
Have you started using a new way of transport?
I think they do not regulate Nitrogen production as much in the winter because there are less plants in winter. Usually in winter the leaves have fallen and plants have died/gone away form the bitter cold winter. And also because its cold more people use heat to warm up buildings.
ReplyDeleteAir quality has never affected me as I do not have allergies, however, I have seen it impact my entire family who all have severe seasonal allergies. Nitrogen production may not be regulated as much in the winter as most greenery grows in the other seasons, additionally, this is heavy travel time as that is the holiday season.
ReplyDelete- Carissa Bersche
Air quality affects me because I have asthma and really bad seasonal allergies. This past summer, when there were days with bad air quality and when the allergens were high, I would get watery eyes with severe congestion and drainage in my ears and nose. It was just overall harder to breathe. I remember when I traveled to Los Angeles a couple years ago, I could instantly tell the difference in air quality; it was really bad.
ReplyDeleteTrinity Mathis
Air quality affects my allergies. When there is a new starting I have really bad allergies and I have medicine prescribed to me to help because nothing really helps with it. I have not started using new transportation but when I move I want to start using the subway or walking.
ReplyDelete-Alyssa Butts
Spring would be the best time to regulate nitrogen production because that's when plants start growing and blossoming. I get pretty bad allergies and itchy eyes, I also have friends with asthma so bad air quality affects us. Even if you don't have some kind of respiratory disease, bad air quality affects everyone. I haven't really started using a new method of transportation because I don't have anywhere to go- I do a lot of running around my neighborhood though.
ReplyDeleteScientists most likely control nitrogen levels less during the winter because most plants are dying due to the cold anyway. I have not been using new forms of transportation; I still drive everywhere. -Shirin Saha
ReplyDeletePersonally bad air has effected my allergies the most sometimes to the point where I dont even want to go outside because its just hard to breath, and I know a lot of friends with bad asthma that suffer when the air quality is bad as well. -Raquel Morgens
ReplyDelete