14 DAY TRIAL // Fossil fuel-powered electrical plants in India have increased their sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by more than 60 percent in just 7 years, the conclusions of a new NASA study reveal. The data used in this research were collected by the American space agency's Aura satellite between 2005 and 2012.
The investigation was conducted by scientists at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), who were led by researcher Zifeng Lu. Details of the work were published in the December 5 online issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
The image attached to this article reveals atmospheric SO2 concentrations between 2011-2012, as seen by Aura from its orbit at 702 kilometers (436 miles) above the Earth's surface. The mission, managed by experts at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland, was launched in 2004.
Aura uses its High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS), Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) to monitor atmospheric chemistry as part of the NASA A-Train of satellites. The train also includes spacecraft such as CALIPSO, CloudSat and the French PARASOL satellite.
NASA is keeping track of sulfur dioxide because the chemical is a potent greenhouse gas and components of urban pollution. It can have significant negative implications on both the environment and human health, so scientists are determined to monitor its evolution over time.
Around three years ago, India exceeded the United States in becoming the second-largest sulfur dioxide emitter, after China. The coal-fired power sector in the developing nation accounted for roughly half of these emissions, previous studies indicate.
“We should know the air quality not only in populated cities, but also in industrial areas, where coal-fired power plants truly dominate national sulfur dioxide emissions,” says Lu, who holds an appointment with the Decision and Information Sciences Division at ANL.
“On the one hand, local residents are influenced by these emissions. On the other hand, long-lifetime, sulfur-containing air pollutants such as sulfate can be transported long distances to affect public health and the environment at a regional scale,” he concludes.