The TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) spacecraft was launched into space in April 2023 to monitor air pollution. The first report came from the spacecraft, which can observe the Earth from its orbit 35 thousand kilometers above the equator.
Air pollution will be monitored from space and precautions will be taken
TEMPO, which can measure air quality with high resolution, can also share changes that occur in short periods of time. In this way, scientists will be able to access much more detailed data about factors affecting air pollution, such as smoke during rush hour or from forest fires.
The first images from TEMPO show the region around Los Angeles, USA. Two pollution maps taken at noon and at approximately 16:00 on the same day reveal at what times the city is exposed to more air pollution.
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These images, taken on August 2, show nitrogen dioxide levels in the air. Darker sections in the shared images indicate that air pollution is higher in these regions. Accordingly, it is clearly seen that the air is more polluted at noon in Los Angeles.
This initial data was collected as part of the calibration process of the TEMPO instrument, a spectrometer that measures pollution by calculating what wavelengths of light are absorbed by gases in the atmosphere. From now on, the satellite will perform hourly scans in central Canada, the USA and Mexico City during daylight hours and share the data with scientists.
It is stated that TEMPO can measure ozone, formaldehyde, aerosols, water vapor and other gases in addition to nitrogen dioxide. In line with air pollution reports from satellites, it is planned to take precautions against it in cities and various regions.
TEMPO helps humanity to breathe better quality air by measuring air quality from space. So, if a similar study were conducted in our country, which regions do you think would be the darkest? You can share your opinions with us in the comments section.
