Earth  ID: 3668

Atmospheric Black Carbon Density

Visualizations by Horace Mitchell Released on December 13, 2009
Black carbon, or soot, is formed from the burning of fossil fuels and biomass and lingers in the atmosphere for days or weeks before being deposited on the land or ocean. The transport and deposition of black carbon has become an important topic related to climate change since it can absorb sunlight and cause an increase in temperature on ice surfaces or in the atmosphere. The movement of black carbon in the atmosphere can be simulated by including existing black carbon data sets in a global model of the atmosphere. This animation shows the simulation of over three months of atmospheric black carbon production and movement from the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol and Transport (GOCART) model, which is driven by output of the GEOS5 global atmosphere simulation. Note the production of black carbon from industrialization in China and biomass burning in Africa, as well as the movement of black carbon across the oceans of the world.
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The global atmospheric black carbon density from August 1, 2009 through November 19, 2009, from the GOCART model.

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The global atmospheric black carbon density from August 1, 2009 through November 19, 2009, from the GOCART model. This version is laid over an image of the Earth.

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The global atmospheric black carbon density from August 1, 2009 through November 19, 2009, from the GOCART model. This version has dates and is laid over an image of the Earth.
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The background image of the Earth for the black carbon animation.

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Color legend for black carbon optical thickness
 

Related

Black Carbon: A Global Presence

Visualization Credits

Horace Mitchell (NASA/GSFC): Lead Animator
William K. Lau (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

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https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3668

Data Used:
GEOS Atmospheric Model
Model - NASA GMAO - 8/1/2009-11/19/2009
view all stories where this data set is used
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

Keywords:
DLESE >> Atmospheric science
SVS >> Biomass
SVS >> Global Warming
SVS >> Pollution
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Aerosols
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Aerosols >> Aerosol Optical Depth/Thickness
SVS >> Hyperwall
SVS >> Black Carbon
SVS >> For Educators
SVS >> Pollution >> Distribution
SVS >> Fossil Fuels
NASA Science >> Earth

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0