WASHINGTON, June 29 (UPI) -- NASA and other U.S. agencies have begun an experiment to measure the movement of air pollution around the globe.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are monitoring the path of polluting gases and aerosols from North America to Europe through Aug. 19.
Combined with data from another experiment analyzing changes and effects from gas and aerosols that flow from North America to the Atlantic Ocean, scientists will be able to characterize global pollutant transport and its impact on air quality and climate, researchers said.
Scientists will use airplanes, satellites, balloons and ground-based networks for the measurements.
"This effort is important, because it is the first time a coordinated worldwide campaign has been launched to establish a benchmark reading from which global atmospheric policies can be developed," said NASA scientist Hanwant Singh.
In spring 2006, scientists will conduct a second experiment to study pollution movements from Asia toward North America to determine implications for North American air quality and seasonal variations in global pollution flow.
