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This series of maps created from data retrieved by the Atmospheric
Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in July 2004 shows the transport of carbon
monoxide (CO) gas, generated by fires in Alaska, as it moves through
the atmosphere across Canada, the United States and the Atlantic
Ocean. The data was retrieved at 500 millibar pressure, which is
approximately 18,000 feet (3.5 miles) in altitude. Besides Alaska,
the maps reveal high concentrations of CO originating in China and
Russia which travel across the Pacific Ocean to the northwestern
United States. Central Africa exhibits another large concentration of
CO. These concentrations are also likely to indicate large scale
forest burning. Carbon monoxide, CO, is a colorless and odorless gas
formed when carbon in fuel is not burned completely. High levels of
CO can cause health problems, and higher levels can be poisonous.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) in conjunction with the Advanced
Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) sense emitted infrared and microwave
radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's
weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments can make
simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in
the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing
different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map
of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights,
greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The
AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA.
JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
The AIRS Public Web site can be found at http://airs.jpl.nasa.gov.
