With the help of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, a high-resolution spectrometer satellite, as well as new analysis tools and methods from NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS), scientists for the first time are able to track short-term changes to carbon dioxide and other gases in our atmosphere. They can detect the change within a month or two, which will provide valuable data on how much of an impact humans have on the atmosphere compared to natural causes.
Data showed that during the beginning of the pandemic, harmful gases in our atmosphere dropped by 2%. Estimates show that with extreme sustainable measures, it would take roughly 15 years to drop by this same amount.
Want to learn more about this data, or track emissions in real-time for yourself? Check out the links below!
NASA Science Enables First-of-its-Kind Detection of Reduced Human CO2 Emissions
NASA Tracks COVID-19’s Atmospheric Fingerprint (YouTube)
Regional impacts of COVID-19 on carbon dioxide detected worldwide from space
