NASA is studying air pollution in the Baltimore/DC area. In flyovers of the region, the agency is measuring air quality in several spots throughout the corridor. The flights are intended to measure the accuracy of air quality measurements taken from satellites.
Measuring air quality from satellites can be a challenge. Satellites that measure air quality can have problems distinguishing between pollution that is measured high in the atmosphere and pollution closer to the ground that affects quality of life. NASA is using P-3B research aircraft to conduct the flyovers.
The measurements will be coordinated with satellite measurements to test the accuracy of the satellite equipment and help air quality scientists determine ways to refine the technology to provide better measurements. NASA's DISCOVER-AQ, which stands for Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality, is led from the Langley Research center in Hampton, VA. The mission is an Earth Science Team research program in concert with the Maryland Department of the Environment and the EPA.
Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Maryland Department of the Environment