{ "count": 48, "next": null, "previous": null, "results": [ { "id": 5566, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5566/", "result_type": "Animation", "release_date": "2025-07-03T14:59:59-04:00", "title": "TEMPO Air Quality Monitoring: Three Example Cases", "description": "Three visualizations demonstrating the air quality monitoring capabilities of the TEMPO mission.", "hits": 219 }, { "id": 5303, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5303/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2024-05-30T14:00:00-04:00", "title": "NASA’s TEMPO Instrument Air Quality Data Now Publicly Available", "description": "The TEMPO instrument measured elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from a number of different areas and emission sources throughout the daytime on March 28, 2024. Yellow, red, purple, and black clusters represent increased levels of pollutants from TEMPO’s data and show drift over time. || TEMPO_3_28_2024_CONUS.0500_print.jpg (1024x576) [289.5 KB] || TEMPO_3_28_2024_CONUS.0500_searchweb.png (320x180) [103.2 KB] || TEMPO_3_28_2024_CONUS.0500_thm.png (80x40) [6.9 KB] || TEMPO_3_28_2024_CONUS [0 Item(s)] || TEMPO_3_28_2024_CONUS_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [29.3 MB] || TEMPO_3_28_2024_CONUS (3840x2160) [1000 Item(s)] || TEMPO_3_28_2024_CONUS_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [111.7 MB] || TEMPO_3_28_2024_CONUS_1080p30.mp4.hwshow || ", "hits": 152 }, { "id": 14439, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14439/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2023-10-24T11:00:00-04:00", "title": "Air Pollution Model Runs", "description": "Soot. Exhaust. Ghosting smog. Air pollutants can travel in wind and wildfire smoke, brew by day, and change by the hour.Predictions of air pollution are created using complex models that combine information about weather and the emissions, transformation, and transport of chemical species and particles. The Goddard Earth Observing System Composition Forecasting (GEOS-CF) system is a research model maintained by NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office to help scientists understand the causes and impact of air pollution. It is one of the highest resolution and most detailed models of its kind in the world, made possible through ongoing collaborations between NASA and university scientists. GEOS-CF tracks the concentrations of hundreds of gas phase chemical species and dozens of types of particles characterized by their composition and size. It is used by a wide variety of stakeholders around the world to develop new methods for improving local predictions, understanding the impact of pollution on human health, and improving the quality of NASA satellite datasets. || ", "hits": 146 }, { "id": 5175, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5175/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2023-10-12T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "TEMPO - Nitrogen Dioxide Air Pollution Over North America - Additional Views", "description": "In this visualization, high levels of nitrogen dioxide can be seen over multiple urban areas across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. 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 or at night. Cloudy areas appear as missing data in the visualization. This visualization shows data from August 28-31, 2023. || tempo_no2_north-america.02402_print.jpg (1024x576) [170.3 KB] || tempo_no2_north-america.02402_searchweb.png (180x320) [67.8 KB] || tempo_no2_north-america.02402_thm.png (80x40) [5.6 KB] || tempo_no2_north-america_1080p60.mp4 (1920x1080) [23.3 MB] || tempo_no2_north-america (3840x2160) [0 Item(s)] || tempo_no2_north-america_2160p60.mp4 (3840x2160) [84.5 MB] || tempo_no2_north-america_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [84.8 MB] || tempo_no2_north-america.mov (3840x2160) [5.6 GB] || a005175_tempo_no2_north-america_2160p30.hwshow [60 bytes] || ", "hits": 126 }, { "id": 5142, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5142/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2023-08-24T10:45:00-04:00", "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.", "hits": 289 }, { "id": 5107, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5107/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2023-06-16T10:00:00-04:00", "title": "Air Quality Monitoring Stations in Washington D.C.", "description": "All 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. || dc_air_stations_full_preview.png (1920x1080) [1.1 MB] || dc_air_stations_4320.png (4320x2160) [2.0 MB] || dc_stations_basemap_4320.png (4320x2160) [1.9 MB] || dc_air_stations_full_4320.png (4320x2160) [2.0 MB] || dc_air_stations_full_preview_searchweb.png (320x180) [44.6 KB] || dc_air_stations_full_preview_thm.png (80x40) [3.8 KB] || ", "hits": 56 }, { "id": 5104, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5104/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2023-05-23T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Two Decades of Changes in Nitrogen Dioxide and Fine Particulate Pollution in the U.S.", "description": "A 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. || pm25_dc_annual.2018_print.jpg (1024x576) [216.4 KB] || pm25_dc_annual.2018_searchweb.png (320x180) [75.7 KB] || pm25_dc_annual.2018_thm.png (80x40) [6.2 KB] || pm25_dc_annual (3840x2160) [0 Item(s)] || pm25_dc_annual_2160p1.mp4 (3840x2160) [30.8 MB] || pm25_dc_annual_2160p60_prores.mov (3840x2160) [41.0 MB] || pm25_dc_annual_2160p1.webm (3840x2160) [1.9 MB] || ", "hits": 121 }, { "id": 5070, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5070/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2023-02-06T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Nitrogen Dioxide Over the United States, 2005-2022", "description": "NO2 over the United States as measured by OMI, with labels || NO2_US_2005-2022.399_print.jpg (1024x576) [171.6 KB] || NO2_US_2005-2022.399_searchweb.png (320x180) [80.6 KB] || NO2_US_2005-2022.399_thm.png (80x40) [5.9 KB] || w_dates (3840x2160) [0 Item(s)] || NO2_US_2005-2022_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [20.0 MB] || NO2_US_2005-2022_2160p30.webm (3840x2160) [2.7 MB] || ", "hits": 270 }, { "id": 4676, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4676/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2019-02-12T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Sulfur Dioxide 2018 Update", "description": "China || so2_china_4K.0000_print.jpg (1024x576) [176.6 KB] || so2_china_4K.0000_thm.png (80x40) [6.0 KB] || so2_china_4K.0000_searchweb.png (320x180) [81.6 KB] || so2_china_4K.0000_web.png (320x180) [81.6 KB] || china (3840x2160) [64.0 KB] || so2_china_4K_2160p30.webm (3840x2160) [4.1 MB] || so2_china_4K_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [113.0 MB] || ", "hits": 188 }, { "id": 12350, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12350/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2016-08-29T11:00:00-04:00", "title": "ATom Mission interview clips", "description": "The ATom mission aboard NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory is sampling world-wide in one of the most extensive surveys of the atmosphere to date, measuring over 200 gases as well as airborne particles. The science team is particularly interested in methane, tropospheric ozone and black carbon particles, which have strong effects on climate and which all have both human and natural origins.Below are interviews with four scientists participating in the research flights:* Donald Blake, UC Irvine* Róisín Commane, Harvard University* Tom Ryerson, NOAA* Jack Dibbs, University of New HampshireFollow along with all eight of our #EarthExpeditions here: http://www.nasa.gov/earthexpeditions || ", "hits": 20 }, { "id": 4272, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4272/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2015-02-09T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "What Would have Happened to the Ozone Layer if Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) had not been Regulated? (UPDATED)", "description": "World Avoided Ozone Full AnimationThis video is also available on our YouTube channel. || world_avoided_robinson.1830_print.jpg (1024x576) [70.0 KB] || world_avoided_robinson.1830_searchweb.png (180x320) [38.8 KB] || world_avoided_robinson.1830_thm.png (80x40) [4.7 KB] || full_movie (1920x1080) [0 Item(s)] || world_avoided_robinson_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [26.3 MB] || world_avoided_robinson_1080.webm (1920x1080) [7.2 MB] || world_avoided_robinson_4272.pptx [27.2 MB] || world_avoided_robinson_4272.key [29.8 MB] || world_avoided_robinson_1080.mp4.hwshow || ", "hits": 103 }, { "id": 11607, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11607/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2014-09-08T16:35:00-04:00", "title": "10 Years of Aura Legacy", "description": "The Aura atmospheric chemistry satellite celebrates its 10th anniversary in July, 2014. Since its launch in 2004, Aura has monitored the Earth's atmosphere and provided data on the ozone layer, air quality, and greenhouse gases associated with climate change. || ", "hits": 29 }, { "id": 11577, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11577/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2014-06-26T16:00:00-04:00", "title": "Air Quality Live Shots 2014", "description": "Interviews with scientists and broll on improving air quality conditions in the United States || ", "hits": 27 }, { "id": 30403, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30403/", "result_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "release_date": "2013-11-13T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "NASA Satellite Data Reveal Impact of Olympic Pollution Controls in Beijing, China", "description": "Chinese government regulators had clearer skies and easier breathing in mind in the summer of 2008 when they temporarily shuttered some factories and banished many cars in a pre-Olympic sprint to clean up Beijing’s air. And that's what they got.They were not necessarily planning for something else: an unprecedented experiment using satellites to measure the impact of air pollution controls. Taking advantage of the opportunity, NASA researchers have since analyzed data from NASA's Aura and Terra satellites that show how key pollutants responded to the Olympic restrictions.The image on the left, an average of August 2005-07 nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels, shows high levels of pollution in Beijing and other areas of eastern China. In contrast, levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) plunged nearly 50 percent in and around Beijing in August 2008 (right image) after officials instituted strict traffic restrictions in preparation for the Olympic Games. || ", "hits": 89 }, { "id": 11070, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11070/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2012-08-15T10:00:00-04:00", "title": "The QWIP Detector; an Infrared Instrument", "description": "All objects emit infrared radiation and the characteristics of the infrared radiation are primarily dependent on the temperature of the object. One of the unique features of the new Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) instrument technology is the ability to, what engineers call \"band gap.\" This means it can spectrally respond to specific wavelengths. This video shows the evolution of taking this instrument from inception, to testing on the ground and from a plane, and ultimately to a NASA science mission. The applications are range from finding caves on Mars to loking for thermal polution in rivers or residual hot spots in forest fires, or monitoring food spoilage. || ", "hits": 58 }, { "id": 10800, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10800/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2011-06-23T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Discover-AQ", "description": "NASA's launching a new mission this summer designed to better understand air pollution and gather data that could allow pollutants to be monitored more exactly from space. The field study coined, \"Discover-AQ\", will take place over the Baltimore/DC region on select days in July. || ", "hits": 13 }, { "id": 3667, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3667/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2010-06-03T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Ship Tracks Reveal Pollution's Effects on Clouds", "description": "NASA's MODIS satellite instrument is revealing that humans may be changing our planet's brightness. Pollution in the atmosphere creates smaller, brighter cloud droplets that reflect more sunlight back to space and may have a slight impact on global warming.This narrated visualization illustrates how we can study the effect against a clean backdrop by looking for zones of pollution in otherwise pristine air - in this case the North Pacific Ocean near the Aleutian islands. On an overcast day, the clouds look uniform. However, MODIS' sesor reveals a different picture - long skinny trails of brighter clouds hidden within. As ships travel across the ocean, pollution in the ships' exhaust create more cloud drops that are smaller in size, resulting in even brighter clouds. On clear days, ships can actually create new clouds. Water vapor condenses around the particles of pollution, forming streamers of clouds as the ships travel on. The ship tracks themselves are too small to impact global temperatures, but they help us understand how larger pollution sources such as industrial sites or agricultural burning might be changing clouds on a larger scale. || ", "hits": 82 }, { "id": 10562, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10562/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2010-05-27T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill", "description": "You can learn more about NASA's satellite observations of the oil spill by visiting https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oilspill/. || ", "hits": 63 }, { "id": 10612, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10612/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2010-05-12T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "The Smog Bloggers", "description": "Has pollen got you sneezing? Wondering what's causing that mysterious afternoon haze? How do you find out what's in the air you are breathing? For the thousands of people who visit the University of Maryland Baltimore County's \"Smog Blog\" each day, the answer is just a web click away. The Smog Bloggers combine laser measurements of current air quality with NASA satellite data to paint a daily picture of air pollution across the US. To date, the blog has received over two million hits, and is itself a big hit with weather forecasters, astronomers, asthma sufferers, and those with just a healthy curiosity about what kinds of pollution they may be breathing in. For complete transcript, click here. || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_YouTubeHQ.01477_print.jpg (1024x576) [98.1 KB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_YouTubeHQ_web.png (320x180) [262.6 KB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_YouTubeHQ_thm.png (80x40) [17.4 KB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_appletv.webmhd.webm (960x540) [53.5 MB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_appletv.m4v (960x720) [146.6 MB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_Youtube.mov (1280x720) [58.9 MB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_YouTubeHQ.mov (1280x720) [113.1 MB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_iPod_large.m4v (640x360) [45.3 MB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_iPod_small.m4v (320x180) [17.5 MB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_NASA_PORTAL.wmv (346x260) [46.4 MB] || G2010-057_Smog_Bloggers_SVS.mpg (512x288) [36.2 MB] || ", "hits": 17 }, { "id": 3708, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3708/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2010-05-01T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Five Spheres - Tropospheric Ozone", "description": "Satellite data can be used to monitor the health of the atmosphere from space. This animation of atmospheric changes is match framed to animation entries 3707, 3709, 3710, and 3711. This dataset shows tropospheric ozone, which is close to the ground and a component of pollution. This should be distinguished from high altitude (stratospheric) ozone which shields the Earth's surface from ultraviolet radiation.For more information about tropospheric ozone see the links below:http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/ozone_resource_page.htmlhttp://www.ozonelayer.noaa.gov/science/basics.htm || ", "hits": 19 }, { "id": 3665, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3665/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2009-12-13T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Global Transport of Black Carbon", "description": "Tiny air pollution particles commonly called soot, but also known as black carbon, are in the air and on the move throughout our planet. Black carbon enters the air when fossil fuels and biofuels, such as coal, wood, and diesel are burned. Since black carbon readily absorbs heat from sunlight, the particles can affect Earth's climate, especially on a regional scale. Though global distribution of soot remains difficult to measure, NASA researchers use satellite data and computer models to better understand how these short-lived particles influence Earth's climate, cryosphere, and clouds. This scientific data visualization uses data from the GEOS5 GOCART climate model to show black carbon's atmospheric concentration from August to November in 2009.A flat map version of this animation is available.This visualziation was created in support of a presentation at the Fall 2009 American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Fransisco, CA. || ", "hits": 106 }, { "id": 3668, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3668/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2009-12-13T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Atmospheric Black Carbon Density", "description": "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. || ", "hits": 141 }, { "id": 10514, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10514/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2009-12-11T18:00:00-05:00", "title": "Terra@10: Terra 10th Anniversary Video", "description": "The Earth-observing satellite Terra celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2009. This video highlights how Terra has helped us better understand our home planet. The satellite's five instruments - ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT - reveal how our our world is changing. For complete transcript, click here. || Terra10_ipodlarge.08402_print.jpg (1024x576) [38.3 KB] || Terra10_ipodlarge_web.png (320x180) [47.8 KB] || Terra10_ipodlarge_thm.png (80x40) [4.3 KB] || Terra10_Apple_TV.webmhd.webm (960x540) [71.4 MB] || Terra10_Youtube.mov (1280x720) [72.8 MB] || Terra10_Apple_TV.m4v (960x720) [179.0 MB] || Terra10_H.264.mov (1280x720) [146.6 MB] || Terra10_ipodlarge.m4v (640x360) [55.7 MB] || Terra10.mpg (512x288) [118.8 MB] || Terra10_ipodsmall.m4v (320x180) [24.0 MB] || Terra10.wmv (346x260) [18.2 MB] || ", "hits": 25 }, { "id": 10525, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10525/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2009-11-04T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Hello Crud", "description": "This segment provides an introduction to aerosols- their varied sources, brief lifetimes, and erratic behavior. Glory's APS will help researchers determine the global distribution of aerosol particles. This unique instrument will unravel the microphysical properties of aerosols, and will shed light on the chemical composition of natural and anthropogenic aerosols and clouds. For complete transcript, click here. || Hello_Crud__512x288.00727_print.jpg (1024x576) [58.9 KB] || Hello_Crud__512x288_web.png (320x180) [160.9 KB] || Hello_Crud__512x288_thm.png (80x40) [15.7 KB] || Hello_Crud_960x720_AppleTV.webmhd.webm (960x540) [66.8 MB] || Hello_Crud_1280x720_ProRes.mov (1280x720) [4.6 GB] || Hello_Crud_1280x720_H264.mov (1280x720) [128.2 MB] || Hello_Crud_960x720_AppleTV.m4v (960x540) [160.6 MB] || Hello_Crud__640x480_ipod.m4v (640x360) [52.5 MB] || Hello_Crud__512x288.mpg (512x288) [37.2 MB] || Hello_Crud_320x240.mp4 (320x180) [22.3 MB] || Hello_Crud.wmv (320x180) [32.7 MB] || ", "hits": 34 }, { "id": 3586, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3586/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2009-03-17T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "What Would have Happened to the Ozone Layer if Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) had not been Regulated?", "description": "Led by NASA Goddard scientist Paul Newman, a team of atmospheric chemists simulated 'what might have been' if chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and similar ozone-depleting chemicals were not banned through the Montreal Protocol. The comprehensive model — including atmospheric chemical effects, wind changes, and solar radiation changes — simulated what would happen to global concentrations of stratospheric ozone if CFCs were continually added to the atmosphere.The visualizations below present two cases, from several different viewing positions: the 'world avoided' case, where the rate of CFC emission into the atmosphere is assumed to be that of the period before regulation, and the 'projected' case, which assumes the current rate of emission, post-regulation. Both cases extrapolate to the year 2065. || ", "hits": 242 }, { "id": 3492, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3492/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2009-03-09T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Atlantic Transport of Anthropogenic Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) in 2003", "description": "In a new NASA study, researchers taking advantage of improvements in satellite sensor capabilities offer the first measurement-based estimate of the amount of pollution. The new measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite substantiate the results of previous model-based studies, and are the most extensive to date. Hongbin Yu, an associate research scientist of the University of Maryland Baltimore County working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., grew up in China and taught there as a university professor, , where he witnessed first-hand and studied how pollution from nearby power plants affected the local environment. Yu points out, however, that the matter of pollution transport is a global one. \"Our study focused on East Asian pollution transport, but pollution also flows from Europe, North America, the broader Asian region and elsewhere, across bodies of water and land, to neighboring areas and beyond,\" he said. \"So we should not simply blame East Asia for this amount of pollution flowing into North America.\" In fact, a recent model study conducted by Mian Chin, co-author of this study and an atmospheric scientist at NASA Goddard suggests that European pollution also makes significant contribution to the pollution inflow to North America. \"Satellite instruments give us the ability to capture finer measurements, on a nearly daily basis across a broader geographic region and across a longer time frame so that the overall result is a better estimate than any other measurement method we've had in the past,\" said study co-author Lorraine Remer, a physical scientist and member of the MODIS science team at NASA Goddard. The MODIS instrument can distinguish between broad categories of particles in the air, and observes Earth's entire surface every one to two days, enabling it to monitor movement of the East Asian pollution aerosols as they rise into the lower troposphere, the area of the atmosphere where we live and breathe, and make their way across the Pacific and up into the middle and upper regions of the troposphere. Remer added that the research team also found that pollution movements fluctuate during the year, with the East Asian airstream carrying its largest \"load\" in spring and smallest in summer. The most extensive East Asian export of pollution across the Pacific took place in 2003, triggered by record-breaking wildfires across vast forests of East Asia and Russia. Notably, the pollution aerosols also travel across the ocean quickly, journeying into the atmosphere above North American in as little as one week. \"We cannot determine at what level of elevation in the atmosphere the pollution ends up once it crosses over to North America, so we do not have a way in this study to assess what actual impact it has on air quality here,\" said Remer. \"Nevertheless, we realize there is indeed impact. For example, particles like these have been linked to regional weather and climate effects. Since pollution transport is such a broad global issue, it is important moving forward to extend this kind of study to other regions, to see how much pollution is migrating from its source regions to others, when, and how fast,\" said Remer. || ", "hits": 21 }, { "id": 10386, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10386/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2009-02-19T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Sources of Aerosols", "description": "Aerosols can occur in nature, but they can also originate from human activity. These animations provide an introduction to four of the varied sources of atmospheric aerosols: cities, forest fires, the ocean, and deserts. || ", "hits": 47 }, { "id": 10388, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10388/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2009-02-19T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Human Induced versus Naturally Occurring Aerosols", "description": "One critical new area of aerosol research involves how the varied particles impact clouds. Clouds play an important role in regulating Earth's climate, and without aerosols, clouds could not exist. The introduction of a larger number of aerosols will modify cloud's natural properties, leading to clouds that are bigger, brighter, and longer lasting. Two time lapsed scenes with zooms to particle-level conceptual animations help to illustrate this concept. In a pristine environment, like the ocean scene depicted here, naturally occurring salt particles serve as condensation nuclei for water vapor in the atmosphere. The water molecules are drawn to the salt particles like magnets, forming water droplets and eventually creating a cloud. The city scene reveals how an increase in the number of aerosols modifies the properties of a naturally formed cloud. The large influx of soot particles increases the number of centers of attraction for the water molecules, and the water droplets become smaller in size but greater in number. || ", "hits": 66 }, { "id": 10389, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10389/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2009-02-19T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Aerosols Absorb; Aerosols Reflect", "description": "Some aerosol particles primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the atmosphere, and others can also absorb radiation and warm the surrounding air. When aerosols heat the atmosphere, they create an unstable environment where clouds can't thrive. The suppression of clouds leads to further warming of the atmosphere by solar radiation. Aerosols are a complex but critical piece of the climate puzzle, and researchers are still working to understand the role of these curious particles. || ", "hits": 231 }, { "id": 10393, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10393/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2009-02-19T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Soot and Sulfate Still Images and Video of Tractor Soot Particle", "description": "Aerosols are complex particles; they can occur in nature but can also be generated by humans. Black carbon, or soot, is generated from industrial pollution, traffic, outdoor fires, and household burning of coal and biomass fuels. Soot is a product of incomplete combustion, especially of coal, diesel fuels, biofuels and outdoor biomass burning. When soot absorbs sunlight, it heats the surrounding air and reduces the amount of sunlight reaching the ground. The heated air makes the atmosphere less stable, creating rising air (convection) which forms clouds and brings rainfall to regions that are heavily polluted. Still image courtesy of Peter Buseck, Arizona State University. Video courtesy of Chere Petty, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; NSF grant DBI-0722569. || ", "hits": 31 }, { "id": 10397, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10397/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2009-02-19T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "City and Traffic Timelapses", "description": "Various timelapse shots of cityscapes and traffic. Shot to support the Glory mission. || ", "hits": 41 }, { "id": 10289, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10289/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2008-07-18T02:00:00-04:00", "title": "Rain Rain Go Away Come Again on a Work Day?", "description": "During the scorching summer months an afternoon rainstorm can be a common and refreshing sight. But for residents in the southeastern United States, a recent NASA study has found, these storms are more intense during the work week than on the weekends. This trend, scientists belive, is driven by pollution that also increases during the work week, from sources like businesses, traffic and factories. || ", "hits": 19 }, { "id": 3491, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3491/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2008-03-13T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Pacific Anthropogenic Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) in 2003", "description": "According to measurements taken with a satellite instrument, vast quantities of industrial aerosols and smoke from biomass burning in East Asia and Russia are traveling from one side of the globe to another. Explosive economic growth in Asia has profound implications for the atmosphere worldwide. Data collected by a NASA satellite shows a dense blanket of polluted air over the Northwestern Pacific. This brown cloud is a toxic mix of ash, acids, and airborne particles from car and factory emissions, as well as from low-tech polluters like coal-burning stoves and from forest fires. This image generated by data from NASA's instrument called MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) onboard the Terra satellite demonstrates how large and pervasive this transport phenomenon is across vast areas. China's exports fill shelves around the world, but according to a new NASA research paper, China also heavily exports pollution. This week, space agency scientists reveal how Chinese industrialization and Russian forest fires in combination with pollution transported eastward from Europe send roughly 18 teragrams - almost 40 billion pounds-of pollution aerosols into the atmosphere over the Northwestern Pacific every year. The MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite has been tracking the particulate pollution for more than seven years, gathering data as most of it drifted east across the Pacific Ocean. About 4.5 teragrams of particulate pollution each year could reach the western boundary of North America, which is about 15% of local emissions of particulate pollutants from the U.S. and Canada. In the last two decades, China has more than doubled its pollution production. This boom may be contributing to substantial changes in climate and weather in places far from the origin of the particulates. Never in human history-anywhere-has there been industrial growth like that in modern China. But with fast growth comes unintended consequences, and from space evidence of those consequences is starting to emerge. The research relies on measurements of something called \"aerosol optical thickness\". It's a quantitative measurement about how well a slice of atmosphere transmits light. The greater the value of optical thickness for a given location, the less light of a particular wavelength can pass through it. Measurements of aerosol optical thickness describe quantities of tiny particles in a given volume. By measuring how much light can penetrate a region of atmosphere across a variety of wavelengths, scientists can make certain inferences about the quantity and type of particles blocking that light. This visualization shows the seasonal variations of transport of pollution aerosols across the North Pacific. The East Asian airstream carries its largest pollution loading in spring and smallest in summer and fall. With heavy concentrations of aerosols represented by shades of brown, scientists can track the origins and distribution of the particles as they travel in the atmosphere. The sequence also shows a trail of substantial aerosol concentrations from a variety of sources. These sources include heavy industrial activity in East Asia associated with high population density represented in this sequence by gradations of black covering the land surface, and intense Russian forest fires in high latitudes. || ", "hits": 74 }, { "id": 3073, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3073/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-12-12T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "NO2 Concentration Over the United States: September 24 - November 7, 2004", "description": "Nitrogen dioxide, NO2, is a traffic-related pollutant. Emissions are generally highest in urban rather than rural areas. Annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in urban areas are generally in the range 10-45 ppb, and lower in rural areas. Levels vary significantly throughout the day, with peaks generally occurring twice daily as a consequence of rush hour traffic. Concentrations can be as high as 200 ppb. Particulate matter is very fine and can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of the condition of people with heart and lung disease. Further, the problem is not necessarily concentrated in the inner cities. Because many major road / motorway interchange complexes are situated in semi-rural areas, under conditions of near-stationary traffic, a rapid build-up of engine exhaust pollution can occur, which if the low-level atmospheric conditions are correct, will not be dispersed. || ", "hits": 62 }, { "id": 3074, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3074/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-12-12T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Nitrogen Dioxide Concentration Over China: September 24 - November 7, 2004", "description": "Nitrogen dioxide, NO2, is a traffic-related pollutant. Emissions are generally highest in urban rather than rural areas. Annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in urban areas are generally in the range 10-45 ppb, and lower in rural areas. Levels vary significantly throughout the day, with peaks generally occurring twice daily as a consequence of rush hour traffic. Concentrations can be as high as 200 ppb. Particulate matter is very fine and can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of the condition of people with heart and lung disease. Further, the problem is not necessarily concentrated in the inner cities. Because many major road / motorway interchange complexes are situated in semi-rural areas, under conditions of near-stationary traffic, a rapid build-up of engine exhaust pollution can occur, which if the low-level atmospheric conditions are correct, will not be dispersed. || ", "hits": 22 }, { "id": 2957, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2957/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-06-28T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "China Dust Storm Pollutes Air in the Eastern United States in April 2001 (Flatmap)", "description": "A large dust storm develops over China on April 6 and 7, 2001. This animation shows the dust moving over China, Russia, Japan, the Pacific Ocean, and Canada, settling over the United States. || ", "hits": 31 }, { "id": 2956, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2956/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-06-14T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "China Dust Storm during April 2001 (WMS)", "description": "A major dust storm occurred in April 2001 over parts of China and Mongolia. Dust from this storm was transported all the way to the coast of the United States. Although dust from the Sahara Desert is routinely transported across the Atlantic to the east coast of the United States, Asian dust rarely makes the distance across the Pacific to the west coast. These airborne microscopic dust and smoke particles, or aerosols, were measured by the TOMS instrument on the Earth Probe satellite. For governments struggling to meet national air quality standards, knowing more about the sources and movement of pollution across national borders has become an important issue. || ", "hits": 40 }, { "id": 20023, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20023/", "result_type": "Animation", "release_date": "2004-02-09T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Ice Albedo: Black Soot and Snow", "description": "Black soot may contribute to melting glaciers and other ice on the planet and eventually a warmer Earth. Traveling potentially thousands of miles from its sources on air currents, this pollution eventually settles out of the air, onto land and into the oceans. On ice and snow, it darkens normally bright surfaces. Just as a white shirt keeps a person cooler in the summer than a black shirt, the vast stretches of polar ice covering much of the planet's top and bottom reflect large amounts of solar radiation falling on the planet's surface, helping regulate Earth's temperature. Soot lowers this albedo, or reflectivity, and the ice retains more heat, leading to increased melting.Soot-darkened ice retains more light, contributing to the process. As light is absorbed, the environment is heated, thus intensifying a feedback loop: a warmer planet yields more ice melting and thus an even warmer planet. || ", "hits": 458 }, { "id": 20026, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20026/", "result_type": "Animation", "release_date": "2004-02-09T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Dust, Fire, Soot Inhibits Rainfall", "description": "Three Contributing Factors for Rainfall Inhibition - Dust is only one of three types of aerosols which can inhibit rainfall. Previous studies have shown that aerosols from biomass burning (i.e. burning of plant material such as forests, grasslands, and agricultural waste) and aerosols from man-made pollution also contribute to disturbing the rainfall process. This animation highlights the power of these three factors vs. the normal conditions of the rainfallprocess. In this virtual world, a dust storm rises from arid conditions. Biomass burning sends smoke and an industrial complex adds pollutants into clouds and the atmosphere, thus preventing any rainfall. The cloud on the left shows rainfall production in normal conditions. || ", "hits": 29 }, { "id": 20022, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20022/", "result_type": "Animation", "release_date": "2004-02-05T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Ice Albedo: Bright White Reflects Light", "description": "This animation provides a close perspective of the relationship between ice and solar reflectivity. As glaciers, the polar caps, and icebergs (shown here) melt, less sunlight gets reflected into space. Instead, the oceans and land absorb the light, thus raising the overall temperature and adding energy to a vicious circle. || ", "hits": 785 }, { "id": 20010, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20010/", "result_type": "Animation", "release_date": "2003-12-09T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Particulates Effect on Rainfall", "description": "Normal rainfall droplet creation involves water vapor condensing on particles in clouds. The droplets eventually coalesce together to form drops large enough to fall to Earth. However, as more and more pollution particles (aerosols) enter a rain cloud, the same amount of water becomes spread out. These smaller water droplets float with the air and are prevented from coalescing and growing large enough for a raindrop. Thus, the cloud yields less rainfall over the course of its liftime compared to a clean (non-polluted) cloud of the same size. The split screen compares a normal rain producing cloud (left) with the lack of rain produced from a cloud full of aerosols from pollution. || ", "hits": 746 }, { "id": 20011, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20011/", "result_type": "Animation", "release_date": "2003-12-09T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Pollution Reduces Winter Precipitation", "description": "In winter, moist air flows off the ocean and rises over the hills downwind of a coastal city, dropping its rain and snow mainly as it ascends the hills. As pollution from the city is pushed into the clouds by the hills downwind of the city, it interferes with droplet formation in the clouds as observed by NASA's satellites. The smaller cloud droplets convert more slowly into precipitation. Instead of precipitating, much of the water in the clouds evaporates, reducing the net rainfall downwind of the urban area by up to 15% to 25% on a seasonal basis. First is the unpolluted case. || ", "hits": 47 }, { "id": 20012, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20012/", "result_type": "Animation", "release_date": "2003-12-09T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Pollution Increases Summer Precipitation", "description": "In summer, weaker winds move the clouds more slowly. Heat absorbed by the city and pollution's interference with raindrop formation interact to cause the clouds to intensify before producing precipitation. The onset of rainfall from a cloud leads eventually to its demise by cooling off the air near the ground. the air pollution delays the onset of precipitation, so that the intense storm clouds can build higher and larger before they start precipitating and subsequently dissipating. Therefore, these larger and more intense thunderstorm clouds produce eventually heavier rainfall on the city and the downwind areas. First is the unpolluted, then the polluted case. || ", "hits": 146 }, { "id": 2859, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2859/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2003-12-03T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "China Dust Storm seen by Earth Probe/TOMS in April of 2001", "description": "A thick shroud of dust appears over China on April 6 and 7, 2001. The densest portion of the aerosol pollution travels east over China, Russia, Japan, the Pacific Ocean, Canada, and the United States. || ", "hits": 11 }, { "id": 2860, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2860/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2003-12-03T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "China Dust Storm seen by Terra/MODIS and Earth Probe/TOMS in April of 2001", "description": "A thick shroud of dust appears over China on April 6-7, 2001. The densest portion of the aerosol pollution travels east over China, Russia, Japan, the Pacific Ocean, Canada, and The United States. || ", "hits": 6 }, { "id": 20003, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20003/", "result_type": "Animation", "release_date": "2003-11-05T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Soot Effects Rainfall", "description": "Heating Up the Atmosphere (Animation) - When soot absorbs sunlight, it heats the air and reduces the amount of sunlight reaching the ground, cooling the Earth's surface. The heated air makes the atmosphere unstable, creating rising air (convection) that forms clouds and brings rainfall to regions that are heavily polluted.The increase of rising air is balanced by an increase in sinking air (subsidence) and drying. When air sinks, clouds and thus rain, cannot form creating dry conditions. Soot or black carbon is the product of low temperature burning. It is generated from industrial pollution, traffic, outdoor fires and household burning of coal and biomass fuels. || ", "hits": 83 }, { "id": 2018, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2018/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2000-11-16T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Safari 2000 Tropospheric Ozone", "description": "The fires that raged across southern Africa in August and September of 2000 produced a thick 'river of smoke' that observers compared with the aftermath of the Kuwaiti oil fires in 1991. NASA-supported studies currently underway on the event will contribute to improved air pollution policies in the region and a better understanding of its impact on climate change. || ", "hits": 8 }, { "id": 378, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/378/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "1998-12-07T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Tropospheric Ozone from Earth Probe TOMS: Global - 9 Day Averages (May 1997 - May 1998)", "description": "Global aerosol concentrations from May 1997 through May 1998 from Earth Probe TOMS || a000378.00010_print.png (720x480) [558.2 KB] || a000378_thm.png (80x40) [6.3 KB] || a000378_pre.jpg (320x238) [13.7 KB] || a000378_pre_searchweb.jpg (320x180) [80.3 KB] || a000378.webmhd.webm (960x540) [9.2 MB] || a000378.dv (720x480) [125.0 MB] || a000378.mp4 (640x480) [7.1 MB] || a000378.mpg (352x240) [9.8 MB] || ", "hits": 35 } ] }