» Air Quality

NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives, and safeguard our future. We monitor Earth’s vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth’s interconnected natural systems with long-term data records. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world. Scientists worldwide use NASA data to tackle some of the biggest questions about how our planet is changing now and how Earth could change in the future. From rising sea levels to the changing availability of freshwater, NASA enables studies that unravel the complexities of our planet from the highest reaches of Earth’s atmosphere to its core. NASA’s Earth science work also makes a difference in people’s lives around the world every day. From farms to our national parks, from today’s response to natural disasters to tomorrow’s air quality, from the Arctic to the Amazon, NASA is working for you 24/7. NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as weather forecasting and natural resource management. All of this new knowledge about our home planet enables policy makers, government agencies and other stakeholders to make more informed decisions on critical issues that occur all around the world. Read More

Observations indicate a precipitation decline over large parts of southern Africa since the 1950s. Concurrently, atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols have increased due to anthropogenic activities. Here we show that local black carbon and organic carbon aerosol emissions from biomass burning activities are a main cause of the observed decline in southern African dry season precipitation over the last century. Near the main biomass burning regions, global and regional modelling indicates precipitation decreases of 20–30%, with large spatial variability. Increasing global CO2 concentrations further contribute to precipitation reductions, somewhat less in magnitude but covering a larger area. Whereas precipitation changes from increased CO2 are driven by large-scale circulation changes, the increase in biomass burning aerosols causes local drying of the atmosphere. This study illustrates that reducing local biomass burning aerosol emissions may be a useful way to mitigate reduced rainfall in the region. Read More

Air pollution has long been a public health concern, and the spike in pollutants often detected near roadways is receiving closer attention from researchers and policymakers. NIEHS helped broaden public understanding of these impacts in the July 10 virtual forum, “Near-Roadway Pollution and Health,” moderated by Gwen Collman, Ph.D., director of the NIEHS Division of Extramural Research and Training (DERT). “Our presenters today come from the evolving robust network of air pollution researchers supported by NIEHS,” she said. Read More

The School IAQ Assessment app provides you with a “one-stop shop” for accessing guidance from EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit with proven strategies for specifically addressing important issues such as ventilation, cleaning and maintenance, environmental asthma triggers, radon, and integrated pest management. Whether you are developing, sustaining or reinvigorating your IAQ management program, this tool will help you identify and prioritize IAQ improvements district-wide. Read More

The IOA was formed in 1973 to serve as the focal point for technology transfer and developments on ozone-related issues. For this purpose, IOA has served as the central , worldwide gathering and disseminating point on ozone information, bringing together scientists, engineers, systems designers, technologists, equipment manufacturers, and end users to share their experiences and research data on ozone and other related oxygen compounds. The IOA is a not-for-profit educational association which performs its information-sharing functions through sponsorship of international symposia, seminars, publications, and the development of personal relationships among ozone specialists throughout the world. Read More

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities have been inextricably linked to their environments for millennia. Because of their reliance on natural resources to maintain traditional diets, lifeways, customs and languages, there is a unique need for tribal-focused research to identify impacts of pollution, dietary exposure, cumulative risk and climate change as well as to inform decisions to reduce health risks in these areas. Read More

Envirofacts is a single point of access to select U.S. EPA environmental data. This website provides access to several EPA databases to provide you with information about environmental activities that may affect air, water, and land anywhere in the United States. With Envirofacts, you can learn more about these environmental activities in your area or you can generate maps of environmental information. Read More

The mission of this Sustainability Research Network is to provide a logical, science- based framework for evaluating the environmental, economic, and social trade-offs between development of natural gas resources and protection of water and air resources and to convey the results of these evaluations to the public in a way that improves the development of policies and regulations governing natural gas and oil development. The goal is to find the balance between maximizing the development of natural gas and oil resources – for the benefits of short-term reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from power generation and transportation, national energy independence, and national job growth – and minimizing damage to water and air resources and risks to human health. Read More