What are the main types of aerosols tracked by NASA?

NASA tracks four primary aerosol types: mineral dust from deserts, black carbon smoke from wildfires and combustion, sea salt from ocean spray, and sulfate aerosols from volcanic and industrial emissions.

How far can atmospheric aerosols travel?

Atmospheric aerosols can travel thousands of miles. Saharan dust regularly crosses the Atlantic to the Americas, Asian pollution reaches North America, and wildfire smoke can circumnavigate the globe within weeks.

How does NASA visualize aerosol transport?

NASA uses the GEOS model, which assimilates satellite data from MODIS, VIIRS, and CALIPSO instruments to create 3D, color-coded visualizations of global aerosol distributions updated every six hours.