Aerosol Monitoring Tool
This project, led by Pablo Méndez Lázaro, associate professor at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus is funded and supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), under Grant No. 80NSSC19K0194 issued through Applied Sciences Program of the NASA Earth Science Division.
This experimental support and monitoring tool tracks how seasonal aerosols, in particular Saharan Dust, travel across the Atlantic Ocean and their effect on air quality in the Caribbean. As Saharan dust travels across the Atlantic, it reflects visible and infrared light, which is detected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-16 mission; the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites; and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer
Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) mission. Suomi NPP is a joint mission between NASA and NOAA.
What are aerosols?
Small solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere are called aerosols. Examples of aerosols include windblown dust, sea salts, volcanic ash, smoke from fires, and pollution from industries. These particles are important to scientists because they could affect the climate and the health of people by breathing pollutant particles.
What is Saharan dust?
The mineral dust particles that reach us in the Americas from the Sahara / Sahel desert could contain minerals, organic matter, sea salts, viruses and bacteria. The most intense seasons in Puerto Rico occur between the months of June to August.
How does it affect health?
Scientific evidence suggests that high exposure to these sprays can cause asthma, cardiovascular events, and other serious health problems. However, scientists do not fully understand the direct and indirect impact of aerosols on the environment and human health (Source: NASA Earth Observations).
How does this application work?
To avoid or minimize the impact of aerosols on human health, this experimental monitoring tool uses data from various NASA satellites to show different images and animations of how aerosols move across the Atlantic. The satellites are also used to show, in near-real time, the value of the density of aerosols in four areas of Puerto Rico: San Juan, Ponce Mayaguez and Fajardo.
Participating Agencies:
- University of Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico Climate & Health Research Laboratoty (PR-CLIMAH), Bioestadistics and Epidemiology Department, Endowed Health Services Research Center (SOM-UPR-MSC), Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosols Research (ACAR), Caribbean Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS), and Comprehensive Cancer Center (UPR-CCC)
- University of South Florida: College of Marine Science
- Puerto Rico Department of Health: Office for Public Health Preparedness and Response, and Demographic Registry
- Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology
- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
- National Weather Service-San Juan
- NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
- Université des Antilles et de la Guyane-Campus de Fouillole
- SPARTAN