201 The impacts of wildfire on air quality, seen here on the AirNow Fire and Smoke map, will improve with Tempo data. concentrations of PM2.5 and ozone at the surface—the air quality index—more quickly and efficiently.” Still, he cautions, “this process probably is going to take some time.” TEMPO’s first beta data product of radiance spectra was released in February 2024. According to Liu, the major release of the TEMPO trace gas data product happened in April 2024, with additional data planned for the coming years. TEMPO data is now available via ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, along with distribution through NASA’s Atmospheric Science Data Center website and NASA’s Earthdata Search, Worldview, and other tools. TEMPO data will also be accessible via the US EPA Remote Sensing Information Gateway (RSIG) data tool, which allows users to select large datasets from satellites, models, and in-situ sensors; distribute the data; integrate those datasets into a unified visualization; or export them for further analysis into tools such as GIS technology. As he and his colleagues race to prepare more of the data for public release, Liu said they have been encouraged by a vibrant community of more than 600 early adopters, including federal, state and local agencies; public health organizations; and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). They have been helping the TEMPO team validate the data and provide feedback as they prepare to use it for research into atmospheric science and public health. TEMPO will also form part of a growing virtual constellation of geostationary air quality satellites in the Northern Hemisphere, joining South Korea’s Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS), launched in 2020, and the European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-4 satellite, which is set to launch in 2025 (see sidebar). Still, most of the global air quality map remains blank, with gaping holes in observations from space over South America and Africa. Liu and other scientists have been pushing for TEMPO-like instruments over the Middle East and South Africa. “Currently there’s a lot of community interest to push for similar measurements in the global south,” he said. Polluted skies kill millions every year, but Liu said he detects something else in the air too. More people are paying attention to the skies, checking their weather apps, and asking questions. Instruments such as TEMPO are poised to accelerate all that. “With respect to air quality and greenhouse gas measurements,” Liu said. “I think we’re actually in a primetime period.” Safeguarding Habitats and Wildlife
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