Sea Life Is at an All-Time High
April 10, 2020 3:09 pm Leave your thoughtsThere’s no doubt that we are in strange, scary, unprecedented times right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has people all over the country and the world shut in at home, abandoning their usual routines and being forced out of work.
It can be difficult in times like these to find a silver lining, but if one exists, it has to be the way the natural world has been able to have some time to itself to breathe and thrive in the midst of all the chaos for humanity. While our worlds have slowed down, ecosystems across the planet are rejuvenating and teeming with life.
We see it here in Florida when we go out on the water and see hundreds of fish and rays underneath us. In our many years of experience providing jet ski rentals in Venice, FL, we’ve never seen anything like this before! We also see it in pictures from across the world, with animals flocking back to areas they had previously deserted.
Here are a few of the biggest ways the change in lifestyle due to the pandemic has affected the environment.
There’s significantly less air pollution
One photo of Los Angeles without smog recently went viral on photo- and link-sharing sites like Reddit, and it was a remarkable look at what even just a few weeks with significantly less pollution can do for the environment. Satellites observing earth have seen a significant decrease in nitrogen oxide, a common air pollutant that results from emissions from power plants, cars, buses and trucks. This decrease coincided with the implementation of strict social distancing measures.
The cleaner air could save lives in some parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization, exposure to air pollution results in conditions that kill about 4.2 million people every year, not to mention the effect pollution has on natural environments and habitats for animal life.
While this temporary slowdown in emissions and pollution will not have long-term effects on the global climate crisis, there is at least the hope that those with influence will see the benefits of decreased emissions and push even harder for needed change.
The oceans are left alone
The oceans are much quieter than they’ve been in a long time, and a lack of noise pollution is welcome for a lot of marine life. Whales, for example, often avoid singing when in the presence of cruise ships. There is also less of a chance of animals being injured by propellers, fewer areas getting overfished and slowed damage to coral reef structures.
Changes in city soundscapes
Because so many people are staying at home, there isn’t nearly as much noise from cars, trains, buses and other forms of transportation. People who live in urban areas have been stunned at how much quieter everything is these days. These changing soundscapes have allowed birds to more comfortably venture into downtown areas they might have typically avoided in normal circumstances.
These are just a few examples of some of the environmental silver linings that have come forth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, contact Cool Breeze Boats and Jet Ski Rentals today.
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