Seismic evidence of the COVID-19 lockdown measures: a case study from eastern Sicily (Italy)

• Published in: Solid earth (Göttingen) Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 299 - 317
• Main Authors: Cannata, Andrea, Cannavò, Flavio, Di Grazia, Giuseppe, Aliotta, Marco, Cassisi, Carmelo, De Plaen, Raphael S. M, Gresta, Stefano, Lecocq, Thomas, Montalto, Placido, Sciotto, Mariangela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Gottingen Copernicus GmbH 02-02-2021; Copernicus Publications
• Subjects: Analysis; Anthropogenic factors; Case studies; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Data acquisition; Earth science; Earthquakes; Epidemics; Human influences; Industrial plants; Mobility; Noise; Pandemics; Population density; Roads & highways; Seismic activity; Seismic analysis; Seismic data; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Shelter in place; Time series; Traffic information; Viral diseases; Volcanic activity; Italy; China
• ISSN: 1869-9529; 1869-9510; 1869-9529
• DOI: 10.5194/se-12-299-2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries put in place
social interventions, restricting the mobility of citizens, to slow the
spread of the epidemic. Italy, the first European country severely impacted
by the COVID-19 outbreak, applied a sequence of progressive restrictions to
reduce human mobility from the end of February to mid-March 2020. Here, we
analysed the seismic signatures of these lockdown measures in densely
populated eastern Sicily, characterized by the presence of a permanent
seismic network used for earthquake and volcanic monitoring. We emphasize
how the anthropogenic seismic noise decrease is visible even at stations
located in remote areas (Etna and Aeolian Islands) and that the amount of this
reduction (reaching ∼ 50 %–60 %), its temporal pattern and
spectral content are strongly station-dependent. Concerning the latter, we
showed that on average the frequencies above 10 Hz are the most influenced
by the anthropogenic seismic noise. We found similarities between the
temporal patterns of anthropogenic seismic noise and human mobility, as
quantified by the mobile-phone-derived data shared by Google, Facebook and
Apple, as well as by ship traffic data. These results further confirm how
seismic data, routinely acquired worldwide for seismic and volcanic
surveillance, can be used to monitor human mobility too.