NASA-Funded Studies Investigate The Pandemic's Impact On Earth

NASA has announced that it is funding four big research projects that will look into the effects of the coronavirus on everything from the economy to air pollution, shedding light on the changes spurred by a lack of typical human activity. NASA describes these studies as being 'rapid-turnaround,' ones that will be supported through the space agency's Rapid Response and Novel Research in Earth Science (RRNES) initiative.

The coronavirus pandemic caused an unprecedented, and incredibly rapid, change in human activities. Many people around the world remain quarantined in their homes, only venturing outdoors for exercise or, in some cases, to work essential jobs. The lack of human activities has resulted in rapid changes in only a very brief period of time, including drops in air pollution, the presence of wildlife in big cities, and even extensive mold growth in closed stores and theaters.

NASA is supporting multiple research projects in order to help gather data on the effects of these widespread changes, ones that will explore air pollution, air quality, water quality, and nighttime light pollution around the world.

Because many people are staying home, the level of vehicle traffic around the world has plummeted. One of the research projects funded by NASA is looking into this drop in air pollution in urban regions, particularly the inconsistent drops observed in cities in the US. The data could, among other things, be used to help improve public health.

As well, NASA is funding projects that are looking into how the drop in air pollution is impacting Earth's atmosphere and water quality. Because nitrogen pollution in the atmosphere has dropped drastically, researchers have a unique opportunity to see whether this impacts algae growth and oxygen availability in coastal waters.

Finally, one project will use satellites to monitor light pollution around the world to determine the effectiveness of different stay-at-home orders and the economy.