Satellite-derived Aerosol Index (AI) products are useful for identifying and tracking the long-range transport of volcanic ash from volcanic eruptions, smoke from wildfires or biomass burning events and dust from desert dust storms, even tracking over clouds and areas of snow and ice. Aerosols also have an affect on the weather and climate by cooling or warming the earth, helping or preventing clouds from forming. Aerosols compromise human health when inhaled by people with asthma or other respiratory illnesses. Sources of aerosols include pollution from factories, smoke from fires, dust from dust storms, sea salts, and volcanic ash and smog. Aerosols have an effect on human health, weather and the climate.

Learn more: Wildfires Toolkit and Wildfires Data PathfinderĪerosols absorb and scatter incoming sunlight, which reduces visibility and increases the optical depth.Read the LANCE disclaimer for more information about using the data.Register for an Earthdata Login to start downloading data.The use of near real-time ( NRT) satellite data for monitoring volcanic plumes is undergoing further developments to enable quantitative retrievals to be produced, which should enable a global capability for volcanic ash monitoring to be introduced. NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery are useful for identifying and tracking ash plumes from volcanic eruptions.

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