In a July 2020 study published in the journal Science, researchers found that people sticking closer to home amid the pandemic has lessened the amount of noise caused by human beings by approximately 50 percent on a global scale. By tracking data from 117 countries, the scientists found that human-generated noise dropped dramatically in the beginning of 2020, starting with a reduction in noise in China in January, shortly after the virus had begun spreading. The noise reductions subsequently spread throughout Europe and other continents as lockdowns took hold in other countries from March through May.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb So, what does this mean in terms of earthquakes? With the din created by human activity significantly dampened, it’s become easier for scientists to hear seismic noises that would otherwise be drowned out. This enables researchers to pick up on sound cues that might indicate the seismic shifts that precede earthquakes. The reduction in noise was particularly apparent during daylight hours, during which researchers were able to hear significantly clearer indications of seismic activity in typically busy urban areas. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. “With increasing urbanization and growing global populations, more people will be living in geologically hazardous areas,” explained the study’s lead author Thomas Lecocq, PhD, a seismologist from the Royal Observatory of Belgium, in a statement. Lecocq noted that with population increases in urban areas—and the greater noise associated with them—it will be particularly important in the near future “to differentiate between natural and human-caused noise so that we can ’listen in’ and better monitor the ground movements beneath our feet.” And for another surprising intersection between the pandemic and nature, discover how This Rare Weather Event Is About to Make Coronavirus Even Worse.
