Reduction of anthropogenic seismic noise due to COVID-19 lockdown
The Planet Earth is still trying its best to get rid
of the unwanted guest, COVID-19. The impact of the virus is going to have a prolonged
effect on the history of mankind. The down falling economies, joblessness,
death of an entire generation are the harshest truth to stand with. But as the
earth already refused to surrender in this battle vs. COVID -19, scientists all
around the globe are looking for every positive impact in the upcoming days due
to this deadly virus and the positive effects are now being signaled by the
pulse of a seismometer.
The lack of human activities due to this prolonged
lockdown caused human linked vibrations to be decreased by 50% between March
and May 2020. The quiet period caused by the increasing social distancing,
closure of industries, pubs, hotels, stadiums, and movies is the longest and
most pronounced quiet period of Seismic noise ever recorded. The research work,
led by Royal Observatory of Belgium and Imperial College London shows the
dampening effects are most prominent in the densely populated areas. The
quietness and the decreased human-generated noise are helping the researchers
to accurately differentiate between natural and human seismic noises and are
allowing them to detect previously concealed earthquake signals. The study also
found the signatures of this lockdown measure on sensors buried hundreds of
meters under the ground in remote areas. Researchers are eager to name this
quiet period as “Anthropause”, as the anthropogenic activities are minimal and
are the main causes to create this historical period. To read the full story Click Here.
The
reduced anthropogenic noise in Brussels, Belgium after lockdown (source: Royal
Observatory of Belgium)
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