{ "id": 5566, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5566/", "page_type": "Animation", "title": "TEMPO Air Quality Monitoring: Three Example Cases", "description": "Three visualizations demonstrating the air quality monitoring capabilities of the TEMPO mission.", "release_date": "2025-07-03T14:59:59-04:00", "update_date": "2025-07-03T10:22:53.680429-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 1156680, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005566/TEMPO_dust_still.jpg", "filename": "TEMPO_dust_still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Visualization of NO~2~ and aerosols during dust and wildfire event on April 14 2025.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 }, "main_video": { "id": 1156648, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005566/TEMPO_dust_FINAL.mp4", "filename": "TEMPO_dust_FINAL.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Visualization of NO~2~ and aerosols during dust and wildfire event on April 14 2025.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 }, "main_credits": {}, "progress": "Complete", "media_groups": [ { "id": 378465, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5566/#media_group_378465", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "", "caption": "Since launching in 2023, NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution mission, or TEMPO, has been measuring the quality of the air we breathe from 22,000 miles above the ground. June 19 marked the successful completion of TEMPO’s 20-month-long initial prime mission, and based on the quality of measurements to date, the mission has been extended through at least September 2026. The TEMPO mission is NASA’s first to use a spectrometer to gather hourly air quality data continuously over North America during daytime hours. It can see details down to just a few square miles, a significant advancement over previous satellites.\r\n\r\nWhen air quality is altered by smog, wildfire smoke, dust, or emissions from vehicle traffic and power plants, TEMPO detects the trace gases that come with those effects. These include nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and formaldehyde in the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere.", "description": "", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 378453, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5566/#media_group_378453", "widget": "Video player", "title": "Central Plains Dust and Wildfire Event, April 14 2025", "caption": "On April 14 2025, strong winds triggered the formation of a huge dust storm in the U.S. central plains and fueled the ignition of grassland fires in Oklahoma. On the left, the nitrogen dioxide (NO~2~) plumes originating from the grassland fires are tracked hour-by-hour by TEMPO. Smoke can be discerned from dust as a source since dust is not a source of NO~2~. The animation on the right shows the ultraviolet (UV) aerosol index, which indicates particulates in the atmosphere that absorb UV light, such as dust and smoke.", "description": "", "items": [ { "id": 488779, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1156648, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005566/TEMPO_dust_FINAL.mp4", "filename": "TEMPO_dust_FINAL.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Visualization of NO~2~ and aerosols during dust and wildfire event on April 14 2025.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 488818, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1156680, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005566/TEMPO_dust_still.jpg", "filename": "TEMPO_dust_still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Visualization of NO~2~ and aerosols during dust and wildfire event on April 14 2025.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 378454, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5566/#media_group_378454", "widget": "Video player", "title": "Red River Valley Soil Emissions, May 5 2025", "caption": "On May 5 2025, TEMPO measured NO~2~ emissions over the Twin Cities in the center of Minnesota during morning rush hour. The amount NO~2~ increases in the air mid-day through early evening hours is illustrated by intense the red and black shaded areas at the Red River Valley along the North Dakota state line driven by emissions from the soils in agriculturally rich areas. Agricultural soil emissions are influenced by environmental factors like temperature and moisture as well as fertilizer application. Small fires and enhancements from mining activities can also be seen popping up across the region through the afternoon.", "description": "", "items": [ { "id": 488780, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1156649, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005566/TEMPO_soil_emission_FINAL.mp4", "filename": "TEMPO_soil_emission_FINAL.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Visualization ~NO~ emissions in the vicinity of the Red River Valley, showing enhanced emissions from soil, May 5 2025", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 488819, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1156682, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005566/TEMPO_soil_emissions_still.jpg", "filename": "TEMPO_soil_emissions_still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Visualization ~NO~ emissions in the vicinity of the Red River Valley, showing enhanced emissions from soil, May 5 2025", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 378452, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5566/#media_group_378452", "widget": "Video player", "title": "Houston Air Quality, Aug. 2 2024", "caption": "By measuring NO~2~ and formaldehyde (HCHO), TEMPO can derive the presence of near-surface ozone. On Aug. 2 2024, over Houston, TEMPO observed exceptionally high ozone levels in the area. On the left, NO~2~ builds up in the atmosphere over the city and over the Houston Ship Channel. On the right, formaldehyde levels are seen reaching a peak in the early afternoon. Formaldehyde is largely formed through the oxidation of hydrocarbons, an ingredient of ozone production, such as those that can be emitted by petrochemical facilities found in the Houston Ship Channel.", "description": "", "items": [ { "id": 488778, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1156647, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005566/TEMPO_Houston_FINAL.mp4", "filename": "TEMPO_Houston_FINAL.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 488817, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1156681, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005566/TEMPO_Houston_still.jpg", "filename": "TEMPO_Houston_still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } } ], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "svs", "funding_sources": [], "credits": [ { "role": "Visualizer", "people": [ { "name": "Trent L. Schindler", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Laura Judd", "employer": "NASA/LaRC" } ] }, { "role": "Writer", "people": [ { "name": "Charles Hatfield", "employer": null }, { "name": "Mike Carlowicz", "employer": "NASA/HQ" } ] } ], "missions": [], "series": [], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [ { "name": "TEMPO Level 3 Gridded", "common_name": "", "platform": "TEMPO", "sensor": "TEMPO", "type": "Observed Data", "organizations": [], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "", "date_range": "" } ], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Earth" ], "keywords": [ "aerosols", "Dust", "Emissions", "Formaldehyde", "Nitrogen Dioxide", "Pollution", "Tropospheric Ozone", "Wildfires" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 5142, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5142/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "TEMPO - Nitrogen Dioxide Air Pollution Over North America", "description": "High levels of nitrogen dioxide can be seen over multiple urban areas across the North America and the Caribbean. Detailed views of three regions show high levels of nitrogen dioxide over cities in the morning and enhanced levels of nitrogen dioxide over major highways. As the day progresses, morning pollution often dissipates then rises again as cities enter their second rush hour. Since TEMPO uses visible sunlight to make measurements, cloudy areas appear as missing data in the visualization.", "release_date": "2023-08-24T10:45:00-04:00", "update_date": "2025-04-29T12:01:03.141185-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 857997, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005100/a005142/tempo_no2.00150_print.jpg", "filename": "tempo_no2.00150_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In this visualization, high levels of nitrogen dioxide can be seen over multiple urban areas across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Detailed views of three regions show high levels of nitrogen dioxide over cities in the morning, and enhanced levels of nitrogen dioxide over major highways. As the day progresses, the morning pollution often dissipates. Later in the afternoon, it will rise again as the cities enter their second rush hour of the day. Because TEMPO uses visible sunlight to make measurements, it cannot see pollution below clouds. Cloudy areas appear as missing data in the visualization.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }