Nitrogen Dioxide Over the United States, 2005-2022
-
- Visualizations by:
- Trent L. Schindler
-
- Scientific consulting by:
- Bryan Duncan
- View full credits
Nitrogen dioxide can impact the respiratory system, and it also contributes to the formation of other pollutants including ground-level ozone and particulates. The gas is produced primarily during the combustion of gasoline in vehicle engines and coal in power plants. Air pollution has decreased even though population and the number of cars on the roads have increased. The shift is the result of regulations, technology improvements and economic changes, scientists say.
This visualization shows tropospheric column concentrations of nitrogen dioxide as detected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite, averaged yearly from 2005-2022.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
-
Visualizer
- Trent L. Schindler (USRA) [Lead]
-
Scientists
- Bryan Duncan (NASA/GSFC) [Lead]
- Lok Lamsal (USRA)
Datasets used in this visualization
Aura (Collected with the OMI sensor)
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.
Related pages
-
-
ID: 5107 Visualization
Air Quality Monitoring Stations in Washington D.C.
Read moreAll air quality monitoring stations that measure particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) located in Washington D.C. The government operated stations are circled in white. Click the download dropdown for more versions. || Washington D.C. contains numerous air quality monitoring stations that help get a representative view of the air residents are breathing. Information on the air monitoring stations such as location and data measured were sourced from OpenAQ.The District Department of Energy and Environment (DDOE) operates five of these stations and their locations are based on population density and distribution as well as historical concentrations of pollutants. The monitoring station data are crucial for complying with the EPA’s national ambient air quality standards. Some of the measurements include PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. ||
-
ID: 5104 Visualization
Two Decades of Changes in Nitrogen Dioxide and Fine Particulate Pollution in the U.S.
Read moreA data visualization of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) data for the Washington DC region spanning 2000-2018 (annual averages). Higher values are represented with dark red and lower values are represented with bright yellow. This view uses the hybrid PM 2.5 color bar with a range of 5 to 20. || What we’re seeing: Air quality, as measured by both fine particle pollution and nitrogen dioxide, has improved overall in the past two decades. The top image is a data visualization of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5 in the Washington, DC, region from 2000 to 2018. The image below shows nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, for the same region from 2005 to 2020. In both, you can see an overall decrease in pollution levels over time. Below that are maps showing the same pollutants, PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide, during the same time periods across all of North America and the United States. Where the data comes from: The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite, the MISR instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite, and the SeaWIFS instruments aboard the Seastar satellite all measured this pollution over the past two decades. The team that created the PM2.5 estimates was led by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. The NO2 estimates were created using data from GOME-2, SCIAMACHY, and OMI, along with information on land use, roadways, power plants, and other emission sources. The team that created the NO2 estimates was led by researchers at the George Washington University. Data visualizations were created by Kel Elkins and NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. ||
-
ID: 14327 Produced Video
NASA Interview Opportunity: Celebrate our Dynamic Planet with a NASA Expert this Earth Day
Read moreClick here for quick link to cut B-ROLL for interviewsScroll down promo videos for John Bolten and Lesley OttClick here for quick link to canned interview with Lesley Ott || This Earth Day Join a NASA Expert to Celebrate Our Home PlanetEarth is beautiful, dynamic, and constantly changing. In recent years, the United States has seen record-breaking weather events - shocking snowfalls, parching droughts, extreme heat waves, extended wildfire seasons, and more. NASA’s fleet of more than 25 Earth-observing satellites help the agency understand Earth by continuously monitoring critical issues such as climate change, wildfires, and air quality. NASA protects and defends our planet by placing this data in the hands of communities. We at NASA are excited to celebrate this Earth Day with you.* Live interviews are available Friday, April 21 from 6:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. EST*Click here to request an interview: https://forms.gle/CwPeDSqzUTLNpMvZ9* Requests sent via the above form will have scheduling priority. Please do not email requests.* Additional resources will be made available at this site: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14327 Suggested Anchor Intro:When you think of NASA, you may think of mighty rockets, rovers and astronauts. What you may not realize is that NASA is the home to the largest group of Earth scientists in the world. With more than 25 satellites in orbit, NASA tracks critical changes all over the globe, from air quality to extreme weather patterns. Here to celebrate our home planet this Earth Day is NASA expert XX.Suggested Questions:1. This year marks the 53rd celebration of Earth Day. Can you share some of what we’re learning about our planet? 2. Recently, we’ve seen some pretty extraordinary weather like the extreme snowfall in California. How are these bizarre weather patterns informing our thinking about climate change? 3. How does climate change impact* [*Please select the question that you believe will hold the most interest for your viewers.]* Wildfires?* Sea level rise?* Floods and droughts?* General weather trends that impact viewers all over the country?4. NASA doesn’t just observe these changes. How is that data used to help communities cope with these challenges?5. Where can our viewers go to learn more about Earth and how to celebrate it?Extended Questions: There are quite a lot of satellites and instruments that NASA uses to observe Earth. Can you share about new satellite launches? Climate change news can be quite scary. What is NASA doing to help all of us continue and thrive here on our home planet?Do you have feedback for the Live Shot Program or want to be removed from our contact list? We would love to hear from you HERE! ||
-
-
-
ID: 4412 Visualization
NASA Images Show Human Fingerprint on Global Air Quality – Release Materials
Read moreThis video provides an overview of the study findings. An HD version of this video is available here: Human Fingerprint on Global Air Quality || Using new, high-resolution global satellite maps of air quality indicators, NASA scientists tracked air pollution trends over the last decade in various regions and 195 cities around the globe. According to recent NASA research findings, the United States, Europe and Japan have improved air quality thanks to emission control regulations, while China, India and the Middle East, with their fast-growing economies and expanding industry, have seen more air pollution. Scientists examined observations made from 2005 to 2014 by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard NASA's Aura satellite. One of the atmospheric gases the instrument detects is nitrogen dioxide, a yellow-brown gas that is a common emission from cars, power plants and industrial activity. Nitrogen dioxide can quickly transform into ground-level ozone, a major respiratory pollutant in urban smog. Nitrogen dioxide hotspots, used as an indicator of general air quality, occur over most major cities in developed and developing nations.The following visualizations include two types of data. The absolute concentrations show the concentration of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide, with blue and green colors denoting lower concentrations and orange and red areas indicating higher concentrations. The second type of data is the trend data from 2005 to 2014, which shows the observed change in concentration over the ten-year period. Blue indicated an observed decrease in nitrogen dioxide, and orange indicates an observed increase. Please note that the range on the color bars (text is in white) changes from location to location in order to highlight features seen in the different geographic regions. ||
-
-
-
ID: 4994 Visualization
Nitrogen Dioxide Over the United States, 2005-2021
Read moreNO2 over the United States as measured by OMI, with labels || Nitrogen dioxide can impact the respiratory system, and it also contributes to the formation of other pollutants including ground-level ozone and particulates. The gas is produced primarily during the combustion of gasoline in vehicle engines and coal in power plants. Air pollution has decreased even though population and the number of cars on the roads have increased. The shift is the result of regulations, technology improvements and economic changes, scientists say.This visualization shows tropospheric column concentrations of nitrogen dioxide as detected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite, averaged yearly from 2005-2021. ||
-