+ Visit NASA.gov + Advanced Search   + About the Server   + Animation List   + How to Use the Server   + RSS Feeds   + Podcasts   + Opportunities Previous Animation Next Animation Scanning Electron Microscope Still Image of Pollen Particles Aerosols are complex particles that come from a variety of sources. They occur in nature, but can also be generated by human activity. Pollen grains are an example of short-lived aerosols that are difficult to detect but are found near the Earth's surface. Pollen effect human health, but researchers do not consider these aerosols to be part of the climatologically important population of tropospheric aerosols. This Scanning Electron Microscopic image reveals pollen grains from a variety of common plants: sunflower (Helianthus annuus), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea ), prairie hollyhock (Sidalcea malviflora), oriental lily (Lilium auratum ), evening primrose (Oenothera fruticosa), and castor bean (Ricinus communis).    Scanning Electron Microscopic image of pollen grains from sunflower, morning glory, prairie hollyhock, oriental lily, evening primrose, and castor bean. Available formats:   1228 x 935       JPEG   231 KB   320 x 243         PNG     351 KB   160 x 80           PNG       66 KB   80 x 40             PNG       22 KB Animation Number: 10394 Completed: 2009-02-19 Producer: Maria Frostic (UMBC) Scientist: Michael Mischenko (NASA/GISS) Goddard TV Tape: G2008-047 -- Glory Resource Reel Keywords: SVS >> Aerosols SVS >> Earth Science GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Biosphere >> Plant Taxonomy >> Flowering Plants GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Biosphere >> Vegetation >> Pollen SVS >> Glory More Information on this topic available at: http://glory.gsfc.nasa.gov     Please give credit for this item to: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Back to Top + Privacy Policy and Important Notices + Reproduction Guidelines NASA Official: Content Contact: Curator: