Bright Stars - Space Apps Challenge

Bright Stars | Quiet Planet

Quiet Planet

The COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting social distancing recommendations and related restrictions have led to numerous short-term changes in economic and social activity around the world, all of which may have impacts on our environment. Your challenge is to use space-based data to document the local to global environmental changes caused by COVID-19 and the associated societal responses.

The good effects that corresponds with COVID-19

Summary

The COVID-19 has caused a worldwide disruption and its impact effects on many regions therefore, Countries are racing to slow the spread of the virus. As a consequence, the planet as a whole has experienced a decline in air pollution and all procedures has resulted in a somewhat good reduction in greenhouse gases emissions as well as shrinking in ozone layer according to NASA satellite measurements. Moreover, there is a drop in transportation such a drop in boat traffic which lead to cleanliness

How We Addressed This Challenge

The project addresses this challenge by discussing the majority of environmental changes due to COVID- beginning with air quality and reduction of pollution passing to impacts on water quality and its changes. As well as reduction of some gasses such as No2 and Co2 that reduce the global warming and ozone hole. Ending with effects of COVID-19 on wildfires. Furthermore, this project discusses the societal response which is represented in restrictions such as closing factories, schools and offices as well as cancelling public events

And here some specific results:

1-In Italy, the number of active COVID-19 cases has surpassed China

2-This days moving average animation of nitrogen dioxide emissions across Europe clearly demonstrates how the drop in Italy’s economic activity has impacted the environment.

3-a drop in boat traffic that means Venice’s canals are clear for the time being, as small fish have begun inhabiting the waterways again.

4-NO₂ emissions around the Hubei province, the original epicenter of the virus, steeply dropped as factories were forced to stop

How We Developed This Project

This challenge was chosen for several reasons, and the most important one of these reasons is its prominent effects in the whole world It also affected our society and has a positive side to the environment that helps to decrease the percentage of the pollution around the world and a negative one for humanity because it has led to the death of many people around the world

We were also keen interest to know the effect of COVID 19 on the air quality and to know the changes in the percentage of gases contained in the air such as co2, no2

We used NASA as a reference for us to get more details such as graphs and precise number about COVID -19 and it impacts on the environment

Many challenges had been faced us such as the quality of the Internet, we had to make online meetings instead of offline meetings because the spread of COVID 19 in our country and The period allowed for submitting this research very short, so we had to hurry up to submit our research in time