NASA: Spacecrafts Can Offer Global Solutions For Air Pollution In The Future

Spacecrafts that orbit the Earth thousands of kilometers away can be used to track air pollutants with instruments similar to the way weather scientists observe storms and clouds, according to NASA. Such a move would enable scientists to better demystify the complex flow, retreat and blending of pollutants from various sources. Consequently, a better understanding and a stronger science foundation would lead to the development of effective strategies to cut air pollution and its adverse effect on health, as per a NASA report.

The space organization started to produce a huge quantity of global air data from advanced new space sensors in the 1990s. The scientists could document regional trends in sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulates after launching the Earth Observing System fleet of satellites. The multi instruments aboard the satellites were developed for a vast range of Earth sciences and could see pollution plumes from forest fires and cities moving downwind at hundreds of kilometers.

NASA has been teaming up with air quality professionals since the early 2000s to use the satellite data to work for the protection of public health. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) routinely incorporates satellite estimates of fine particulate matter at the surface into air quality maps all over the nation, particularly in areas with limited ground-based monitoring. NASA satellites, along with the airborne data and local pollution insight, are being used by state air quality managers to create more accurate local air quality alerts and forecasts.

The space agency is now going to pursue air pollution to a new level with three science and technology projects, the first of which is scheduled to begin next week in South Korea's sky. The project, which is a joint field study between the Republic of Korea and NASA, will see six weeks' collection of data from satellites, ships, ground sites and three aircrafts which will further the possibility of monitoring air pollution more precisely from space. The Korean Peninsula was an ideal choice for the project due to its diverse natural laboratory for air quality, which gives scientists the chance to study the mix of air from various sources like desert dust, seasonal fires, and pollution across borders and Seoul.  

Observations from the Korea U.S.-Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) research will play a crucial role in creating a new international observing system which will combine space and ground sensors with computer models to supply improved air quality assessments. Work has already been started by NASA, South Korea and European Space Agency (ESA) on building a group of next-generation sensors that will orbit 22,000 miles above Earth, and offer unmatched views of Northern Hemisphere's major air pollutants.

NASA's TEMPO will gather hourly air pollution measurements from its fixed position directly over North America. According to the report, the creation of an in-depth measuring system that aligns data collected from vantage points in space and ground-based measurements will eventually allow NASA to contribute to a healthier future for mankind, by probing connections between particulate pollution and specific health impacts.