. . . Aura . . .

Using Aura Data

Welcome to the Aura data page! On this page, you will find
information and resources to use Aura data for a variety of purposes.

Air Quality

Aura is already providing the first-ever daily, direct global measurements of low altitude or tropospheric ozone and many other pollutants that affect our air quality. Moreover, Aura delivers its results with unprecedented clarity over a region. The instruments onboard will help scientists monitor pollution production and transport around the world.

Aura tropospheric NO2 data are available in Google Earth, .hdf, and .txt format can be found here for daily and monthly images. Click on one of the icons below the montlhly images for the format of interest.

Aura tropospheric NO2 and aerosol data will be available in educational lessons through the Earth Exploration Toolbook and MY NASA DATA.

SO₂ Emissions from Smelters
The Peruvian copper smelters are among the world's largest industrial point sources of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and are among the most polluting.
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South Korea gets rare yellow snowfall
South Koreans were treated to a rare weather phenomenon on Monday when yellow snow fell in the capital and elsewhere across the country.
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Stratospheric Ozone

Aura's MLS instrument (Microwave Limb Sounder) is collecting daily data about the physical and chemical processes that influence the health of the protective ozone by measuring other chemicals in the atmosphere that affect ozone chemistry worldwide. MLS data provide the most complete chemical measurements available to understand the ozone layer and its predicted recovery.

Find up to date information about the ozone hole.
+ Go to Ozone Hole Watch.

'Double Record Breaker'
2006 Antarctic Ozone Hole seen by MLS
Low temperatures in September 2006 increased by the longevity of 'active chlorine', leading to a record area and depth of the ozone hole.
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OMI Measurement of Nitrogen Dioxide
This image from Aura's OMI instrument shows the total column amount of nitrogen dioxide, a precursor to the formation of tropospheric ozone.
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Climate Change

The Aura satellite will improve our understanding of the links between global climate change and ozone chemistry. Measurements taken from the satellite also offer the potential for new insights into how climate changes influence the recovery of the stratospheric or upper ozone layer, the protective region that shields the Earth from ultra-violet radiation.

Climate

NASA Satellite Eyes Atmosphere to Improve Pollution and Climate Forecasting
Thanks to the latest sophisticated, satellite-based instruments, local and regional air pollution and their sources can now be observed closely from space.
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MLS Water Vapor and Pressure
Time-pressure sections of zonally averaged water vapor mixing ratio, shown as the deviation from the time-mean profile.
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