Satellite Monitoring for Air Quality and Health

Tracey Holloway^{1

2}, Daegan Miller¹, Susan Anenberg³, Minghui Diao⁴, Bryan Duncan⁵, Arlene M Fiore⁶, Daven K Henze⁷, Jeremy Hess⁸, Patrick L Kinney⁹, Yang Liu¹⁰, Jessica L Neu¹¹, Susan M O'Neill¹², M Talat Odman¹³, R Bradley Pierce^{2

14}, Armistead G Russell¹³, Daniel Tong¹⁵, J Jason West¹⁶, Mark A Zondlo¹⁷

Affiliations

¹ Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA; email: taholloway@wisc.edu.
² Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA.
³ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
⁴ Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, San José State University, San Jose, California 95192, USA.
⁵ Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
⁶ Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA.
⁷ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
⁸ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Department of Global Health, and Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA.
⁹ School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
¹⁰ Gangarosa Department of Environment Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
¹¹ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA.
¹² Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Seattle, Washington 98103, USA.
¹³ School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
¹⁴ Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA.
¹⁵ Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA.
¹⁶ Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.

PMID: 34465183
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biodatasci-110920-093120

Review

Satellite Monitoring for Air Quality and Health

Tracey Holloway et al. Annu Rev Biomed Data Sci. 2021.

. 2021 Jul 20:4:417-447.

doi: 10.1146/annurev-biodatasci-110920-093120. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA; email: taholloway@wisc.edu.
² Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA.
³ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
⁴ Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, San José State University, San Jose, California 95192, USA.
⁵ Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
⁶ Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA.
⁷ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
⁸ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Department of Global Health, and Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA.
⁹ School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
¹⁰ Gangarosa Department of Environment Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
¹¹ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA.
¹² Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Seattle, Washington 98103, USA.
¹³ School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
¹⁴ Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA.
¹⁵ Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA.
¹⁶ Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.

PMID: 34465183
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biodatasci-110920-093120

Abstract

Data from satellite instruments provide estimates of gas and particle levels relevant to human health, even pollutants invisible to the human eye. However, the successful interpretation of satellite data requires an understanding of how satellites relate to other data sources, as well as factors affecting their application to health challenges. Drawing from the expertise and experience of the 2016-2020 NASA HAQAST (Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team), we present a review of satellite data for air quality and health applications. We include a discussion of satellite data for epidemiological studies and health impact assessments, as well as the use of satellite data to evaluate air quality trends, support air quality regulation, characterize smoke from wildfires, and quantify emission sources. The primary advantage of satellite data compared to in situ measurements, e.g., from air quality monitoring stations, is their spatial coverage. Satellite data can reveal where pollution levels are highest around the world, how levels have changed over daily to decadal periods, and where pollutants are transported from urban to global scales. To date, air quality and health applications have primarily utilized satellite observations and satellite-derived products relevant to near-surface particulate matter <2.5 μm in diameter (PM_2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). Health and air quality communities have grown increasingly engaged in the use of satellite data, and this trend is expected to continue. From health researchers to air quality managers, and from global applications to community impacts, satellite data are transforming the way air pollution exposure is evaluated.

Keywords: PM2.5; air quality; health impacts; ozone; public health; satellites.

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Satellite Monitoring for Air Quality and Health

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Satellite Monitoring for Air Quality and Health

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Medical