Look around. Can you see the air? No? Luckily, many of NASA's Earth-observing satellites can see what the human eye can't -- including potentially harmful pollutants lingering in the air we breathe.
From the vantage point of space, these satellites help us measure and track air pollution as it moves around the globe and have contributed significantly to our decades-long quest for cleaner air.
When we talk about "air pollution," we're referring to chemicals or particles in the atmosphere that are known to have negative health effects on humans. The Clean Air Act of 1970 established legislation that requires the tracking of six of those pollutants -- nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, particulate matter (microscopic specks of solid or liquid material in the air), sulfur dioxide, and lead. Satellite instruments are measuring all of these except lead.
NASA has been involved in the study of air quality for decades from space and with ground sensors, creating a time series of global data records critical to understanding the impacts and causes of air pollution and to helping design solutions. This article highlights a few of the many projects under way now and planned for the years to come.
Continue reading at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Image via NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
