'Smog Blog' For Central America And Caribbean Debuts
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Stephen Cole
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
stephen...@nasa.gov
Jennifer Morcone
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
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RELEASE: 08-247
'SMOG BLOG' FOR CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN DEBUTS
WASHINGTON -- NASA and its partners today unveiled a new way to
connect satellite air quality data with communities in Central
America and the Caribbean. The MesoAmerican and Caribbean Smog Blog,
a Web site interpreting local and regional air quality, was
introduced at a news conference in Panama City in conjunction with a
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) in the Americas
symposium.
The Smog Blog provides timely information about air pollution and its
sources in the region, helping the public, governments, and health
officials monitor air quality and mitigate negative health impacts.
The blog is written by faculty and students at the University of
Panama and staff from the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin
America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC). It is the newest addition to
SERVIR (Spanish for "to serve"), a regional environmental monitoring
system that leverages the satellite resources of the United States
and other countries to put Earth observation data and other tools
into action in Central America.
"CATHALAC has truly taken a leadership role in understanding how NASA
atmospheric research information can benefit the citizens of
Mesoamerica," said Teresa Fryberger, associate director of Applied
Sciences in NASA's Earth Science Division in Washington and co-chair
of the U.S. Group on Earth Observations. "With Smog Blog, Central
American environmental and health officials will be able to better
communicate warnings about hazardous air conditions so the public can
take appropriate precautions."
Posts are made at least three times a week by trained personnel using
information from satellites, air quality forecast models and
soon-to-be-operational ground-based monitors. Satellites from NASA
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
provide air quality information of use to the region. Data from
NASA's
Terra and Aqua satellites provide a variety of atmospheric
measurements. The NASA-French Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared
Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite mission provides
bloggers with data about regional airborne particles. NOAA's
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites provides
continuous monitoring of Earth necessary for timely, intensive data
analysis. Another NOAA data asset providing material is a Hazard
Mapping System that detects wildfires from space and tracks the smoke
they produce.
"The Smog Blog and other activities reflect the work of many partners
in supporting the realization of GEOSS in the Western Hemisphere,"
said Emilio Sempris, director of CATHALAC. "In our region, this
exciting initiative is going to improve the quality of life in vital
sectors, including public health, energy, weather, climate, and
agriculture."
A U.S. Smog Blog has been operated for five years by a team at the
University of Maryland Baltimore County. The site draws 35,000 visits
a month, mainly state and local air quality forecasters. It is a
daily resource for "big picture" analysis of nationwide air quality
and insights into how national trends may affect communities locally.
Through a NASA cooperative agreement, the U.S. Smog Blog team is
working with the SERVIR collaboration to bring this communications
tool to Central America.
"The Smog Blog has been a powerful communications tool here in the
United States," said Erica Zell, co-developer of the Smog Blog and
research scientist for Battelle Memorial Institute. "We hope through
sharing real-time air quality information in this region we will make
an impact in preventing future harm. Pollution and acid rain have
damaged ancient Mayan ruins and air quality has immense public health
impacts in this region."
Support for the new Smog Blog is provided by CATHALAC, the University
of Panama, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Panama's
national environmental authority, the World Bank and Battelle
Memorial Institute. NASA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
and the U.S. Agency for International Development fund this
initiative.
The Group on Earth Observations is coordinating intergovernmental
efforts to build GEOSS, a network designed to better understand,
monitor and forecast changes in the global environment. Driven by the
75-government Group on Earth Observations, GEOSS in the Americas is
working as a catalyst for regional initiatives by advancing the use
of Earth observations, encouraging shared use of data, and leveraging
regional assets.
The SERVIR system, developed by researchers at NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., was introduced in 2005 in Panama at
CATHALAC. SERVIR takes a global approach to environmental challenges
by pooling Earth observation tools and data.
To read the MesoAmerican and Caribbean Smog Blog, visit:
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