Using Satellites to Track Indicators of Global Air Pollution and Climate Change Impacts: Lessons Learned From a NASA-Supported Science-Stakeholder Collaborative

Susan C Anenberg; Matilyn Bindl; Michael Brauer; Juan J Castillo; Sandra Cavalieri; Bryan N Duncan; Arlene M Fiore; Richard Fuller; Daniel L Goldberg; Daven K Henze; Jeremy Hess; Tracey Holloway; Peter James; Xiaomeng Jin; Iyad Kheirbek; Patrick L Kinney; Yang Liu; Arash Mohegh; Jonathan Patz; Marcia P Jimenez; Ananya Roy; Daniel Tong; Katy Walker; Nick Watts; J Jason West

doi:10.1029/2020GH000270

Using Satellites to Track Indicators of Global Air Pollution and Climate Change Impacts: Lessons Learned From a NASA-Supported Science-Stakeholder Collaborative

Geohealth. 2020 Jul 1;4(7):e2020GH000270. doi: 10.1029/2020GH000270. eCollection 2020 Jul.

Authors

Susan C Anenberg¹, Matilyn Bindl², Michael Brauer^{3

4}, Juan J Castillo^{5

6}, Sandra Cavalieri⁷, Bryan N Duncan⁸, Arlene M Fiore⁹, Richard Fuller¹⁰, Daniel L Goldberg¹, Daven K Henze¹¹, Jeremy Hess¹², Tracey Holloway², Peter James¹³, Xiaomeng Jin⁹, Iyad Kheirbek¹⁴, Patrick L Kinney¹⁵, Yang Liu¹⁶, Arash Mohegh¹, Jonathan Patz², Marcia P Jimenez¹³, Ananya Roy¹⁷, Daniel Tong¹⁸, Katy Walker¹⁹, Nick Watts²⁰, J Jason West²¹

Affiliations

¹ Milken Institute School of Public Health George Washington University Washington DC USA.
² Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment University of Wisconsin Madison WI USA.
³ School of Population and Public Health The University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada.
⁴ Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation University of Washington Seattle WA USA.
⁵ Clean Air Institute Washington DC USA.
⁶ Now at Pan-American Health Organization Washington DC USA.
⁷ Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Washington DC USA.
⁸ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USA.
⁹ Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Columbia University Palisades NY USA.
¹⁰ Pure Earth New York NY USA.
¹¹ College of Engineering and Applied Science University of Colorado Boulder Boulder CO USA.
¹² Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA USA.
¹³ James T.H. Chan School of Public Health Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Boston MA USA.
¹⁴ C40 Cities New York NY USA.
¹⁵ School of Public Health Boston University School of Public Health Boston MA USA.
¹⁶ Rollins School of Public Health Emory University Atlanta GA USA.
¹⁷ Environmental Defense Fund Washington DC USA.
¹⁸ Center for Spatial Science and Systems George Mason University Fairfax VA USA.
¹⁹ Health Effects Institute Boston MA USA.
²⁰ Lancet Countdown University College London London UK.
²¹ Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA.

Abstract

The 2018 NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Science Team (HAQAST) "Indicators" Tiger Team collaboration between NASA-supported scientists and civil society stakeholders aimed to develop satellite-derived global air pollution and climate indicators. This Commentary shares our experience and lessons learned. Together, the team developed methods to track wildfires, dust storms, pollen counts, urban green space, nitrogen dioxide concentrations and asthma burdens, tropospheric ozone concentrations, and urban particulate matter mortality. Participatory knowledge production can lead to more actionable information but requires time, flexibility, and continuous engagement. Ground measurements are still needed for ground truthing, and sustained collaboration over time remains a challenge.

Keywords: air pollution; climate change; environmental surveillance; public health surveillance; satellite remote sensing.

Abstract

Grants and funding