SEAC4RS

Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys

past Mission

Type

Airborne Science

Dates

August - September 2013

Target

Earth

Objective

Determine how air pollution from wildfires and other sources affects climate

To determine how pollutants are redistributed via deep convection in the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, this project surveyed the American South and West to see how air pollution and natural emissions – pushed high into the atmosphere by large storms – affect atmospheric composition and climate. It relied on combined observations from aircraft, satellites, balloons and the surface.

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The image is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes. The smallest of these are small, distant, and faint points of light. The largest of these appear larger, closer, brighter, and more fully resolved with 8-point diffraction spikes. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-like streaks rising from the nebula below. The orangish cloudy formation in the bottom half varies in density and ranges from translucent to opaque. The stars vary in color, the majority of which have a blue or orange hue. The cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks, and valleys – an appearance very similar to a mountain range. Three long diffraction spikes from the top right edge of the image suggest the presence of a large star just out of view.

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