Observing Global NO2 Emissions from Space

This animated map uses data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite to show NO2 emissions around the world. The Sentinel 5P satellite is dedicated to monitoring air pollution. The satellite is able to sense ultraviolet, visible, near and short-wavelength infrared to monitor the amount of ozone, methane, formaldehyde, aerosol, carbon monoxide, NO2 and SO2 in the atmosphere.

This global composite map of nitrogen dioxide uses images captured by Sentinel-5P in August and September of last year. The composite map was made by Descartes Lab and is one of a series of maps which can be viewed in their article What We Burn Creates an Eerily Navigable Map of Earth. In the article Descartes Labs uses their NO2 maps to show where the human population and activity around the world is polluting the Earth. It also shows where wildfires around the world also contribute to the amount of NO2 in the atmosphere.