Soot and Sulfate Still Images and Video of Tractor Soot Particle
Aerosols are complex particles; they can occur in nature but can also be generated by humans. Black carbon, or soot, is generated from industrial pollution, traffic, outdoor fires, and household burning of coal and biomass fuels. Soot is a product of incomplete combustion, especially of coal, diesel fuels, biofuels and outdoor biomass burning. When soot absorbs sunlight, it heats the surrounding air and reduces the amount of sunlight reaching the ground. The heated air makes the atmosphere less stable, creating rising air (convection) which forms clouds and brings rainfall to regions that are heavily polluted. Still image courtesy of Peter Buseck, Arizona State University. Video courtesy of Chere Petty, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; NSF grant DBI-0722569.
Microscope video of tractor soot. Video courtesy of Chere Petty, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; NSF grant DBI-0722569.
Still image of soot and sulfate particles. Image courtesy of Peter Buseck, Arizona State University.
Still image of soot and sulfate particles. Image courtesy of Peter Buseck, Arizona State University
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Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
Still image courtesy of Peter Buseck, Arizona State University. Video courtesy of Chere Petty, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; NSF grant DBI-0722569.
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Animator
- Megan Willy (IRC/UMBC)
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Producer
- Maria Frostic (UMBC)
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Scientist
- Michael Mishchenko (NASA/GSFC GISS)
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Videographer
- Chere Petty (UMBC)
Release date
This page was originally published on Thursday, February 19, 2009.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:54 PM EDT.