Here’s why NOAA is part of the summer air blitz, and what researchers hope to gain from it:Gains against air pollution have stagnated, while the mix of pollutants is changing, posing a challenge to regulators. Air pollution research wasn’t born yesterday, but an important new portion of it was born Tuesday. A rocket carrying the air pollution monitoring TEMPO sensors takes off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., in April 2023, to deliver the satellite into geostationary orbit. (Walter Scriptunas/Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)TEMPO could “see” an area where over-fertilization for agriculture is producing excessive nitrogen oxides, a component of harmful air pollution. From Gulfstream jets to DC-8s to backpacks crossing Central Park, air pollution scientists will pour oceans of data back for analysis.

Source: Daily Sun August 03, 2023 15:11 UTC