March 19, 2001
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmSatellite Tracks Plumes of Pollution
By Kristin Leutwyler
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
An old satellite recently taught scientists a new trick, according to a recent report in Science. NASA's Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS)¿in operation since 1978¿used new technologies to reveal a key difference between the smoke and smog generated during the African and Indonesian fires in 1997. Whereas the smoke actually lingered over the fires, the smog¿which is essentially low-level ozone in the atmosphere¿spread out quickly.
"TOMS is the only satellite instrument that follows both smoke and smog, globally," said Anne Thompson of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. "The extreme pollution generated during the Indonesian fires was the first time we saw smoke move more slowly and in different directions from where smog moved." The scientists say these two pollution plumes took such different tacks because they were in different layers of the atmosphere. The heavier smoke particles stayed in lower layers and so were less able to travel.
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
