Letter to the Editor: Note on published research on the effects of COVID-19 on the environment without sufficient depth of science

TL;DR

This paper critiques recent research on COVID-19's environmental impacts, highlighting concerns about the depth of scientific analysis despite the studies' detailed explanations and data presentations.

Contribution

It provides a critical review of two recent studies, emphasizing the need for more rigorous scientific depth in assessing COVID-19's environmental effects.

Findings

Identifies gaps in scientific rigor of recent COVID-19 environmental studies

Highlights the importance of thorough scientific analysis for accurate interpretation

Calls for deeper scientific investigation in future research

Abstract

Dear Editor-in-Chief: We have given two articles published recently in Science of the Total Environment by Mandal and Pal (2020) and Zambrano-Monserrate et al. (2020) a thorough reading. Both articles present a significant association between the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) social distancing policies and improvement in environmental quality such as air pollution, land surface temperature, and noise. Both articles present good research, complemented by detailed explanations and displays, yet we have a few concerns that affect the interpretation and meaning of the results.