Air Pollutants Decrease in China Virus Infection Spread Is Affected Tohoku University March 11, 4:24
A study by a group at Tohoku University, which analyzed satellite images, found that the decline in economic activity associated with the spread of the new coronavirus reduced air pollutants in a wide area of China.
It is said that the exhaust gas from factories often contains small particles called aerosols, which can be observed from satellites based on the reflection of sunlight, and is considered a standard for global air pollution.
The research group of Prof. Junichi Kudo of Tohoku University has analyzed aerosols from satellite images in a wide area of China, including Hubei Province, where a series of new coronavirus infections occurred.
As a result, in the image of the last month of the last day of the Chinese New Year holiday, aerosols shown in yellow were seen in various places, and in some places they became dark yellow and showed that aerosols were present at high concentrations. You.
One month later, on the 5th of this month, the dark yellow color has almost disappeared, and the pale yellow color has changed to such a degree that it can be seen slightly.
Normally, when the New Year holidays end, the factory should resume production and increase the dark yellow color, but on the contrary, it has decreased, and the research group has reduced economic activity due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, causing air pollutants to decrease. I think that has decreased.
"I have been studying for many years, but this is the first time such a phenomenon has been seen in China at this time. I am surprised at the effects of the spread of infection," says Kudo.