Science On A Sphere: Aerosols in the Air

NASA merges satellite and ground-based observations, advanced models, and computing power to study aerosols in the atmosphere. Aerosols are tiny solid or liquid particles that float in the atmosphere and can travel long distances, affecting air quality and visibility far from their sources. These particles come from natural and human sources and include sea salt (cyan), dust (magenta), black carbon (orange/red), and sulfates (green). For instance, in South America you can see black carbon from fires burning in the Amazon rainforest, and over the Atlantic you can see Saharan dust wafting from North Africa towards the Americas. This visualization is based on NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model, which delivers realistic, high-resolution weather and aerosol data that enable customized environmental prediction and advances in AI research.

Representative still image of the aerosols visualization.

Visualization showcasing aerosols by NASA's Goddard Earth Observing (GEOS) model. Labels have been skewed to ensure proper display when wrapped on a sphere.

Visualization showcasing aerosols by NASA's Goddard Earth Observing (GEOS) model. This version does not include labels.

This frame set provides labels with transparency that can be overlaid for compositing purposes.

Colorbar of the aerosols visualizaton. This still image is provided with transparency for compositing purposes.

Vertical colorbar of the aerosols visualization. This still image is provided with transparency for compositing purposes.