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Building models for pollution to find better mitigation strategy and improve human health and climate<\/h3>\n
Most models for aerosols \u2013 or particulate matter \u2013 distribution are built for the global scale \u2013 with spatial resolution spawning several hundreds of kilometers, making it difficult to assess exposure at the city level. This is why Henze and his team are working on improving the models\u2019 precision \u2013 down to 10 km \u2013 for the UN Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).<\/p>\n
According to Henze, \u201cIf you used global model resolution \u2013 200-300 km scale models \u2013, to try and estimate aerosols exposure, you can incur an error of up to 30-40% because the spatial scale is so different than the spatial scales of gradients in population densities\u201d, i.e. the scales of transitions from urban to rural areas. \u201c<\/p>\n
This is the reason why, in 2015, Henze decided to increase the accuracy of the global distribution model by incorporating satellite data identifying population concentrations, correcting the aerosols concentrations to more closely match where humans are present \u2013 adjusting, for example, for urban and rural areas.<\/p>\n
The new model, developed in collaboration with Randall Martin\u2019s group in Dalhousie, was built using a particulate matter concentration model derived from data collected by MODIS, MISR, SeaWIFS, and Calypso satellite instruments that estimate surface fine particulate air pollution \u2013 or PM2.5 \u2013 at high resolution.<\/p>\n
Using this new combined model to calculate exposure at a much finer resolution than the coarse global simulations, the team built a tool kit for the United Nations Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) that estimates relationships between pollutants exposures and emissions, called LEAP-IBC.<\/p>\n
The toolkit is offered to member nations trying to get funding from the UN for pollution reduction policies. Not all countries have the resources to do detailed modeling, and air pollution health impact analysis. But now, countries can use open satellite data with this kit to gauge the impact specific mitigation strategies, such as powerplant emissions reductions, would have on human health and climate.<\/p>\n The World Health Organization (WHO)\u00a0estimates that \u201cfine particulate air pollution \u2013 or PM2.5 \u2013, causes about 3% of mortality from cardiopulmonary disease, about 5% of mortality from cancer of the trachea, bronchus, and lung, and about 1% of mortality from acute respiratory infections in children under 5 years, worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n As satellite sensors continue to improve and the number of satellites increases, toolkits, such as the one developed by Henze and Martin, will only become more precise, offering countries the ability to monitor on a daily, or even hourly, basis the efficiency of their mitigating strategies.<\/p>\n Using satellite data to find new ways to reduce pollution exposure could help save millions of lives every year.<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n Interested in using this data, simply visit the SEDAC website.<\/p>\n Turning satellite observations into effective pollution monitoring solutions requires the right data, analysis, and expertise. Through our FDE approach, we help organizations apply Earth Observation technologies to address real-world environmental challenges.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/skywatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Nitrogendioxidepollutionaveragedyearlyfrom2005-2011hasdecreasedacrosstheUnitedStates.ImageCredit_NASAGoddardsScientificVisualizationStudio2FT-1.gif\")
Saving the world, one satellite at a time<\/h3>\n
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