Space Agency NASA has been instrumental in providing us earthlings with knowledge about our planet from the outside world. The kind of atmosphere, we have surrounding our planet is important to understand. Among the many particles in the air, there are millions of solid and liquid droplets known as aerosols. These particles play a great role in the Earth's climate and also the overall health of humans. NASA created a map to show the global aerosol distribution on August 23, 2018. On this same day, huge plumes of smoke drifted over North America and Africa. There were three different tropical cyclones churning in the Pacific Ocean, and large clouds of dust blew over deserts in Africa and Asia. A map clubbing all of it is pretty stunning to look at, but also shows the dangers were are facing. NASA Releases Images of Kerala Floods; Take a Look at Before and After Images of the Devastating Calamity. 

The aerosols emerge from the smoke of a wildfire, volcanic eruptions and also the dust blowing in the winds. Inhaling the wrong kind of aerosols can cause respiratory problems. NASA has the high-tech equipment to find such microscopic particles from across space. The data captured has been processed through Goddard Earth Observing System Forward Processing model.

Take a look at the Aerosol Map of August 23, 2018 released by NASA:

 

Now you can see a variety of colours on the map. The black carbon particles are represented by the red areas. The purple particles show the dust and the blue ones are for sea salt aerosols. The black carbon is emitted from fires. You can also see the storms in the oceans, the giant swirls in blue. The map also has night light data from Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). It is useful to map the locations of towns and cities. NASA Video Shows How Monsoon Rainfall, Floods Spread in Kerala. 

Such data shows the intensity of fires, the aerosols in the atmosphere also indicate the global warming. The occurrence of wildfire and cyclones has increased over the years, affecting the aerosols in the atmosphere. So while the map may look stunning, it is pointing out the dangers we face in near future.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 28, 2018 11:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).