Air pollution over northern Italy has fallen sharply after the coronavirus outbreak and the country’s lockdown, according to data coming from the European Space Agency.

The survey, based on data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, which maps a multitude of air pollutants around the globe, shows a ‘massive decline’ in air pollution, specifically nitrogen dioxide emissions over Italy, particularly in the the north of the country.

Claus Zehner, ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-5P Mission Manager, said: “The decline in nitrogen dioxide emissions over the Po Valley in northern Italy is particularly evident.

“Although there could be slight variations in the data due to cloud cover and changing weather, we are very confident that the reduction in emissions that we can see, coincides with the lockdown in Italy causing less traffic and industrial activities.”