Satellites in the sky are helping ASU researchers study pollution on the ground in a whole new way.
Since last April, the group has run computer models based on satellite information about towns along the U.S.-Mexico border in order to predict ozone levels with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.
"We can take that information, run the models and predict ozone in areas where we don't have access," said Joseph Fernando, a research team member and engineering professor.
Satellites pass over the thousands of miles of the border once every 16 days, collecting data in remote places that would be unmeasured otherwise, Fernando said.
"The U.S. side is well populated with instruments," Fernando said. "The Mexican side is not."
Complex computer models make this new method possible, though not necessarily easy, Fernando added.
By combining satellite information with ground statistics, the researchers were able to learn about ozone in a new way, Fernando said.
Other agencies, including the University of California at Berkeley, will use that information to create new health advisories and policies about pollution, Fernando said.
Communications freshman Jenn Emkjer said she tries to make an effort in her daily life to protect the environment, and would like to see more information available about pollution hazards.
"It affects everything in our world," said Emkjer.
Fernando said the methods used by the group would be important for future research about pollution. As satellite technology improves, the data will be more exact, making the models more accurate, he added.
Finding accurate ground data, like terrain and wind speed, to combine with the satellite information was also a challenge, according to Chune Shi, a research associate who studied how the ozone moved around border towns.
This ground data is necessary for calculating the movement of pollution from one area to border towns, she said.
Even though the group is using ground data from 2001, Fernando said the models improve the satellite data dramatically.
Research on this new project recently received state funding from the Department of Environmental Quality.
Reach the reporter at: claudia.koerner@asu.edu.
