Lockdown due to COVID-19: An opportunity to understand influence of anthropogenic activities

Abstract:

Humans have geoengineered the world since the advent of the industrial age. The subsequent addition of anthropogenic emissions to the atmosphere has enhanced with time. With the rise in pollutants, warming to the planet started especially due to carbon black. Most of the aerosols are heat absorbing and so end up warming the atmosphere. The lockdown was an excellent opportunity to understand the influence of pollutants in the atmosphere. Most of the pollutants emitting industry and vehicular traffic were at a halt in many countries. The atmosphere was in its pristine state free from induced pollutants. The relative decline in the concentration of heat-absorbing aerosols in the atmosphere resulted in a drop in the air temperature near the surface for the first time in the warming history over Indian plains. The period of lockdown extended to around 2 months, which was enough time to leave its influence in the atmospheric air circulation. With the unlock phase starting slowly the traffic n ease in the industry lead to a rise in pollutant levels and similarly was the rise in temperature was observed.