World: Currently, every nation in the globe is under partial or complete lockdown depending upon the situation of the area. Due to lockdown earth pollution has gradually come down and it is under a healing process.
Earth produces seismic noise due to vibrations within the Earth, which travel like waves and the waves can be activated by earthquakes, volcanoes, and bombs but also by daily human activity like travel and industry. Seismic noise can be measured by an instrument called seismometers.
A study conducted in 117 countries showed that the world is experiencing the most dramatic reduction in the seismic noise (the hum of vibrations in the planet’s crust) in recorded history due to global lockdown due to coronavirus.
The precautions which people are following due to the spread of virus like
Social distancing measures, closure of services and industry, and drops in tourism and travel played a major role in bringing the silent peace within the earth, the study published in the journal Science, reported.
The dampening of seismic noise caused by humans is more prominent in densely populated areas according to the new research, led by the Royal Observatory of Belgium and five other institutions around the world including Imperial College London (ICL).
“Our study uniquely highlights just how much human activities impact the solid Earth, and could let us see more clearly than ever what differentiates human and natural noise,” said study co-author Stephen Hicks from ICL in the UK.
The largest drops in vibrations were seen in the most densely populated areas, like Singapore and New York City, but drops were also seen in remote areas like Germany’s the Black Forest and Rundu in Namibia.
Countries like Barbados, where lockdown coincided with the tourist season, saw a 50 per cent decrease in noise.
“The changes have also given us the opportunity to listen in to the Earth’s natural vibrations without the distortions of human input,” the study authors wrote.
In April, a study published in the journal Nature, reported that at least 30 per cent reduction in that amount of ambient human noise since lockdown began in Belgium.