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Nitrogen Dioxide Emissions Drop Over Italy After Coronavirus Measures

posted by martyb on Tuesday March 17 2020, @10:53PM   Printer-friendly
from the take-a-deep-breath dept.
Science

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

New data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite reveal the decline of air pollution, specifically nitrogen dioxide emissions, over Italy. This reduction is particularly visible in northern Italy which coincides with its nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The animation shows the fluctuation of nitrogen dioxide emissions across Europe from 1 January 2020 until 11 March 2020, using a 10-day moving average. These data are thanks to the Tropomi instrument on board the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite which maps a multitude of air pollutants around the globe.

Claus Zehner, ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission manager, comments, "The decline in nitrogen dioxide emissions over the Po Valley in northern Italy is particularly evident.

"Although there could be slight variations in the data due to cloud cover and changing weather, we are very confident that the reduction in emissions that we can see, coincides with the lockdown in Italy causing less traffic and industrial activities."

Josef Aschbacher, ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, says, "Copernicus Sentinel-5P Tropomi is the most accurate instrument today that measures air pollution from space. These measurements, globally available thanks to the free and open data policy, provide crucial information for citizens and decision makers."

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:19PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:19PM (#972538)

    Severly reduced economic activity results in less pollution being emitted.
    This stunning finding has been brought to you by the medical journal, "Duh!"

  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by barbara hudson on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:19PM (4 children)

    by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:19PM (#972539) Journal

    I jest, but both China and Italy have many more males dying of COVID-19 than females. This is because males in both countries are far more likely to be smokers, and smoking screws up your lungs.

    Nothing new [businessinsider.com]

    The deadly coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has infected more men than women, and scientists are divided about why that is.

    The virus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19, has killed more than 2,700 people and infected more than 80,000, with the vast majority of cases in mainland China. (For the latest case total and death toll, see Business Insider's live updates here.)

    A study of more than 44,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in China offers one of the broadest pictures of how the virus operates in humans so far. The study found that men are more likely to die of the virus, with a fatality rate of 2.8% compared to 1.7% for women. Men also represented a slight majority of cases: around 51%.

    Other recent research has produced similar results. A study of nearly 140 coronavirus patients at a Wuhan University hospital found that the virus was most likely to affect older men with preexisting health problems. More than 54% of the patients in the study were men, and the median age of patients was 56.

    A study of 99 coronavirus patients at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital showed that the average patient was 55.5 years old, and men represented around 68% of the total cases. A third study of nearly 1,100 coronavirus patients (which is still awaiting peer review) identified a median age of 47, with men representing around 58% of the cases.

    This data has led some researchers to suspect that certain biological factors might make men more susceptible to the virus. But Chinese men also smoke more than Chinese women, which increases the risk of respiratory problems. SARS affected more men, too

    In the absence of much reliable, broad data about the new coronavirus, scientists have turned to a similar outbreak — the SARS pandemic from 2002 to 2003 — for clues. Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Heath Organization's Health Emergencies Program, said on February 14 that smoking is "an excellent hypothesis" for why the virus has affected more men. A 2010 national survey of smoking in China found that 62% of Chinese men had been smokers at some point, while only 3% of Chinese women had ever smoked.

    "There is a marked difference between male and females in this outbreak in terms of severity. And there's certainly a marked difference in those habits in China," Ryan said at a press conference. "I think it should be relatively straightforward to establish the science."

    Plenty of disclaimers about how it might not be smoking, taken right from Mike Pence's playbook. Can't afford to offend Big Tobacco.

    But the fact is that both China and Italy have far more men dying than women, and other countries aren't seeing that - the difference being the higher smoking rates of men in both China and Italy. In Canada, for instance, it's 49/51 for infection rates between men and women as of this afternoon's news.

    So all you desperate smokers who were going on about how you read something on Reddit that smoking protects people because of initial data from China - you were trolled. Stop smoking.

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    • (Score: 2) by Bot on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:47PM (1 child)

      by Bot (3902) on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:47PM (#972551) Journal

      Anyway among the young generation it's been females who smoke at least as much as males. The stats still makes a lot of sense as youngsters are less targeted by the corona, or less likely to die from problems exacerbated by the corona.

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      Account abandoned.

      • (Score: 3, Touché) by barbara hudson on Wednesday March 18 2020, @01:02AM

        by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Wednesday March 18 2020, @01:02AM (#972572) Journal
        And damage accumulates with total years smoked, so older people will always be more susceptible. Serves older smokers right for setting a shitty example of "do as I say, not as I do" to the next generations.
        --
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    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:35AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:35AM (#972606)

      All this talk about smoking... *goes for a somke*

    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday March 18 2020, @12:29PM

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 18 2020, @12:29PM (#972734) Journal

      So all you desperate smokers who were going on about how you read something on Reddit that smoking protects people because of initial data from China - you were trolled.

      But if I read it on Reddit, it must be true!

  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:51PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:51PM (#972555)

    ...is energy efficient.

    • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:37AM

      by Bot (3902) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:37AM (#972714) Journal

      My brain isn't that efficient, but I don't need full throttle when discussing with meatbags: especially with politics, I seem to follow best the reasonings when I turn off the logic parser units.

      Also, I'm a bit eastward wrt the plains subjected to the study. Lots of currents here, unlike poor Padania.

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    • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday March 18 2020, @06:01PM

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @06:01PM (#972848) Journal

      ...is energy efficient.

      Yep, you can reduce the clock speed quite a bit when it's doing so little!

  • (Score: 2) by Some call me Tim on Wednesday March 18 2020, @01:33AM (9 children)

    by Some call me Tim (5819) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @01:33AM (#972585)

    Don't worry, the Sulfur Dioxide will make up for it.
    https://www.ccn.com/coronavirus-death-smog-is-china-burning-thousands-of-infected-bodies/ [ccn.com]
    Nothing to see here, move along.

    --
    Questioning science is how you do science!

    • (Score: 2) by NickM on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:22AM

      by NickM (2867) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:22AM (#972602) Journal
      unless india is secretly burning body the so2 is perfectly correlated with deficient environmental regulation × industrial density. have a look https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/chem/surface/level/overlay=so2smass/orthographic=74.45,35.42,441 [nullschool.net]
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    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:52AM (7 children)

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:52AM (#972611) Journal

      Evidence suggesting that the Chinese government is hiding the actual severity of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is piling up. Every estimate, whistleblower, and unconfirmed report suggest the actual number of coronavirus casualties is much higher than what the official data says.

      The bullshit is piled thick on this one.

      The Chinese government has shut down many major factories, coal-fuelled power plants, and manufacturing to curb the coronavirus outbreak. So there is little chance that they could be responsible for the rising levels.

      Unless, of course, restarting those major factories and such are what's causing the spikes in pollution.

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by Bot on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:44AM (6 children)

        by Bot (3902) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:44AM (#972718) Journal

        Russia kept an eye on china since forever and immediately closed the border, when the official position here was "just a rather pesky flu strain". The official position was wrong.

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        • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by khallow on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:52AM (5 children)

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:52AM (#972719) Journal
          That's supposed to be relevant how? And I'm not confident in either the Russian government's ability to close borders or reveal the true state of coronavirus infection in their country.

          • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Bot on Wednesday March 18 2020, @01:03PM (4 children)

            by Bot (3902) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @01:03PM (#972742) Journal

            It's a waste of time to be logic with you, but the fact that the borders were closed in the end of january is proof russians knew the situation was different from the official line. Whether russkies actually died or not is not relevant. Whether they efficiently closed the border is not relevant but I tend to think good ol' Russian paranoia helps there.

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            • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by khallow on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:56PM (3 children)

              by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:56PM (#972766) Journal
              You still have yet to say why that story is relevant. My point remains. There are multiple scenarios that result in sudden surges in air pollution, some coming from the relatively rosey reported numbers coming out of China - namely that industry is starting up again.

              • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Bot on Wednesday March 18 2020, @03:34PM (2 children)

                by Bot (3902) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @03:34PM (#972781) Journal

                The hypothesis was China is hiding something. If Russia closed borders in january when local politicians were joking about hugging chinese, it adds to the suppositions you cited as bullshit, to prove that Russians saw through the officials line. You don't shut down your borders and routes for nothing or mere suspicion, it costs. Now, if russians saw right, they either were very lucky, or misinformed in the right direction, or (the most probable) initially China understated the problem, first to themselves in the chain of command, then to outside. You can't blame them, Russkies did too (chernobyl) and everybody else.

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                • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by khallow on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:09PM (1 child)

                  by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:09PM (#972956) Journal

                  The hypothesis was China is hiding something. If Russia closed borders in january when local politicians were joking about hugging chinese, it adds to the suppositions you cited as bullshit, to prove that Russians saw through the officials line.

                  Just because China is hiding something doesn't mean that they're hiding thousands of deaths. And Russia's actions don't inform us as to actual risk from China presently.

                  • (Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday March 19 2020, @09:53AM

                    by Bot (3902) on Thursday March 19 2020, @09:53AM (#973108) Journal

                    Wow some chirurgical mod going on here.

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  • (Score: 4, Funny) by takyon on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:42AM (4 children)

    by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:42AM (#972607) Journal

    The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump eyes checks to Americans as part of coronavirus stimulus [thehill.com]

    WHERE'S MY MONEY?! I need it for the furnace.

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    • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday March 18 2020, @12:58PM

      by RS3 (6367) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @12:58PM (#972740)

      They don't have enough people to run the printing presses fast enough. You'll have to start burning all that toilet paper you stocked up. :)

    • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:08PM (2 children)

      by Bot (3902) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @02:08PM (#972753) Journal

      - citizen
      - wat
      - we give you free money nao
      - didn't you blast AOC and company for trying to do just that
      - yes but nao emergency
      - my stomach was in emergency already
      - shut up and take my money
      - you a bit hypocrite
      - you will see how AOC shrieks about this, then you call hypocrisy AOK?
      - k

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      Account abandoned.

  • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Wednesday March 18 2020, @10:00AM (2 children)

    by acid andy (1683) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @10:00AM (#972691) Homepage Journal

    So, the coronavirus is bad for your lungs, so this is a bad thing, but less air pollution is good for your lungs, so this is a good thing?! WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

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    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:05AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2020, @11:05AM (#972704)

      It means you should stock up on canned oxygen.

      • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Wednesday March 18 2020, @12:26PM

        by acid andy (1683) on Wednesday March 18 2020, @12:26PM (#972731) Homepage Journal

        I don't want to get hyperoxia, so I'll stick to my premium bottled mountain air thank you very much. None of that nasty compressed stuff neither. Far too dangerous.

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