冠状病毒可能无意中导致地球振动减少，封锁措施导致全球工业机械和交通工具的使用大幅下降。

地震学家表示，自从遏制病毒传播的措施出台以来，地球的“地震噪音”明显下降。这是包括人类活动在内的多种因素造成的地面持续振动。

这些振动由地震仪记录，地震仪是测量地面运动的仪器，通常用于监测地震和火山爆发等事件。科学家在研究地质事件时，必须考虑背景地震噪声。

COVID-19大流行始于去年12月，当时在中国武汉市发现了该病毒病例。病例数量迅速上升，到1月底，世界卫生组织已经在20个国家确认了9826例病例。

从那以后，这个数字增加了近100倍。在撰写本报告时，约翰·霍普金斯大学仪表板跟踪器已经在180个国家确认了877，000多例病例。

为了遏制病毒的传播，全球各国都采取了遏制措施，旨在限制人们的行动和接触。一度，全球三分之一的人口处于某种形式的封锁之下。这些措施导致许多行业和运输网络瘫痪。

据英国广播公司报道，道路车辆和工业产出的下降幅度如此之大，二氧化碳排放量可能会大幅下降，与2019年相比，一氧化碳排放量下降了近50%。

但是工业机械和车辆使用量的大幅下降似乎也导致了地震噪音的减少。布鲁塞尔比利时皇家天文台的地震学家托马斯·莱科克说，观测到了一个巨大的下降，自然杂志报道。他的记录显示，人造地震噪音已经下降了大约三分之一。“比利时现在真的变得安静了，”他说。

英国伦敦帝国学院的斯蒂芬·希克斯报告了类似的下降。在推特上，他展示了显示平均白天背景地震噪音下降的图表。“很明显，在过去的几天里，黎明时噪音水平的增加...比过去几周要低得多。“我想这是因为早上的高峰时间要少得多——通勤的人更少，也没有学校跑步。”

加州理工学院地球物理学博士生塞莱斯特·拉博兹回应说，她在洛杉矶也观察到了类似的下降。“这种下降非常疯狂，”她说。

英国爱丁堡大学地震学和岩石物理学教授伊恩·梅因告诉记者新闻周刊如果交通和工业的“文化噪音”没有因为封锁而下降，那将是令人惊讶的。他说，这在这些源头附近的站会更明显。

“对于与地球物理源相关的较低频率，例如海洋风暴...他说:“我不希望看到任何显著的变化。”他补充说，这可能是因为“地球在地震之间的振动比正常情况下要少，但只是在文化噪音产生的更高频率下。”

地震噪音的下降可以帮助地震学家研究地震和火山，以更好地监测活动。没有背景噪音，发现地震活动中的微小变化可能更容易。“这很有可能导致更好的测量，”莱科克说自然。

这篇文章已经更新，包括了伊恩·梅因的评论。

科学家称，全球各国实施的封锁措施已经降低了地震噪音。

世界卫生组织关于避免冠状病毒疾病传播的建议(COVID-19)

卫生建议

• 经常用肥皂和水洗手，或者用酒精洗手。

• 咳嗽或打喷嚏后洗手；照顾病人时；食物准备之前、期间和之后；吃饭前；使用厕所后；当手明显变脏时；处理动物或废物后。

• 与任何咳嗽或打喷嚏的人保持至少1米(3英尺)的距离。

• 避免触摸你的手、鼻子和嘴。不要在公共场合吐痰。

• 咳嗽或打喷嚏时，用纸巾或弯肘捂住口鼻。立即丢弃纸巾并清洁双手。

医疗建议

• 如果你有任何症状，避免与其他人密切接触。

• 如果你感觉不舒服，即使有轻微的症状，如头痛和流鼻涕，也要呆在家里，以避免疾病扩散到医疗机构和其他人。

• 如果您出现严重症状(发烧、咳嗽、呼吸困难)，请尽早就医，并提前联系当地卫生部门。

• 记录最近与他人的任何联系和旅行细节，以提供给能够追踪和预防疾病传播的当局。

• 了解卫生当局发布的COVID-19最新进展，并遵循他们的指导。

面具和手套的使用

• 如果照顾病人，健康的人只需要戴口罩。

• 如果你咳嗽或打喷嚏，请戴上口罩。

• 当与频繁的手部清洁结合使用时，口罩是有效的。

• 戴口罩时不要触摸。如果你触摸面具，请洗手。

• 学习如何正确戴上、取下和处理口罩。扔掉口罩后，请洗手。

• 不要重复使用一次性口罩。

• 经常洗手比戴橡胶手套更能有效防止感染COVID-19。

• COVID-19病毒仍然可以在橡胶手套上被发现，并通过触摸你的脸传播。

CORONAVIRUS MAY HAVE CAUSED THE EARTH TO STOP VIBRATING SO MUCH

Coronavirus may have inadvertently caused Earth to vibrate less, with lockdown measures leading to a huge drop in the use of industrial machinery and transportation around the world.

Seismologists have said that since measures to curb the spread of the virus were put in place, there has been a noticeable drop in the planet's "seismic noise." This is the persistent vibration of the ground as a result of a multitude of factors, including human activity.

These vibrations are recorded by seismometers—instruments that measure ground motion that are normally used to monitor events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The background seismic noise has to be taken into account when scientists are studying geological events.

The COVID-19 pandemic began in December last year, when cases of the virus were identified in the city of Wuhan, China. The number of cases rose quickly, and by the end of January, the World Health Organization had confirmed 9,826 cases across 20 countries.

Since then, this figure has increased almost 100 fold. At the time of writing, the Johns Hopkins University dashboard tracker had confirmed over 877,000 cases in 180 countries.

To curb the spread of the virus, containment measures have been put in place in countries across the globe, aimed at limiting the movement and contact of people. At one point, a third of the global population was under some form of lockdown. These measures brought a halt to many industries and transport networks.

It is thought the drop in vehicles on the roads and industrial output is so extensive, there could be a huge fall in carbon dioxide emissions, with carbon monoxide emissions falling by almost 50 percent compared to 2019, the BBC reports.

But the huge fall in the use of industrial machinery and vehicles also appears to have led to a reduction in seismic noise. Thomas Lecocq, a seismologist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Brussels, said a huge drop had been observed, Nature magazine reports. His recordings suggest manmade seismic noise had fallen by around one third. "This is really getting quiet now in Belgium," he is quoted as saying.

A similar drop was reported by Stephen Hicks, at the U.K.'s Imperial College London. On Twitter, he presented graphs showing the fall in average daytime background seismic noise. "It seems quite clear that over the last few days, the increase in noise level at dawn... is much less steep than over the past few weeks," he Tweeted. "I guess this is due to a much weaker morning rush hour—fewer people commuting and no school runs."

Celeste Labedz, a geophysics PhD student at Caltech, responded saying she had observed a similar reduction in Los Angeles. "The drop is seriously wild," she said.

Ian Main, Professor of Seismology and Rock Physics at the U.K.'s University of Edinburgh, told Newsweek it would be surprising if there had been no drop in 'cultural noise' from transport and industry as a result of the lockdown. This would be more apparent at stations near these sources, he said.

"For lower frequencies associated with geophysical sources e.g. ocean storms... I would not expect to see any significant change," he said, adding it may be that "Earth is vibrating in between earthquakes less than normal, but only at higher frequencies generated by cultural noise."

The drop in seismic noise could help seismologists studying earthquakes and volcanoes to better monitor activity. Without the background noise, spotting small changes in seismic activity may be easier. "There's a big chance indeed it could lead to better measurements," Lecocq told Nature.

This article has been updated to include comments from Ian Main.

The lockdown measures implemented in nations across the globe have led to a reduction in seismic noise, scientists say.

World Health Organization advice for avoiding spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Hygiene advice

• Clean hands frequently with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand rub.

• Wash hands after coughing or sneezing; when caring for the sick; before, during and after food preparation; before eating; after using the toilet; when hands are visibly dirty; and after handling animals or waste.

• Maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

• Avoid touching your hands, nose and mouth. Do not spit in public.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or bent elbow when coughing or sneezing. Discard the tissue immediately and clean your hands.

Medical advice

• Avoid close contact with others if you have any symptoms.

• Stay at home if you feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as headache and runny nose, to avoid potential spread of the disease to medical facilities and other people.

• If you develop serious symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) seek medical care early and contact local health authorities in advance.

• Note any recent contact with others and travel details to provide to authorities who can trace and prevent spread of the disease.

• Stay up to date on COVID-19 developments issued by health authorities and follow their guidance.

Mask and glove usage

• Healthy individuals only need to wear a mask if taking care of a sick person.

• Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.

• Masks are effective when used in combination with frequent hand cleaning.

• Do not touch the mask while wearing it. Clean hands if you touch the mask.

• Learn how to properly put on, remove and dispose of masks. Clean hands after disposing of the mask.

• Do not reuse single-use masks.

• Regularly washing bare hands is more effective against catching COVID-19 than wearing rubber gloves.

• The COVID-19 virus can still be picked up on rubber gloves and transmitted by touching your face.

•