Atmospheric Chemistry Program Seminar: Sally E. Pusede

Observing neighborhood-level air pollution and inequalities from space

Sally E. Pusede, 
Department of Environmental Sciences
University of Virginia

Environmental racism affects neighborhood-level air quality in U.S. cities. We have historically lacked spatially comprehensive observations that resolve neighborhood-scale air pollution variability. Satellites offer opportunities to describe and inform decision-making related to air pollution inequalities. Satellite measurements also provide temporal information useful for identifying their emission sources and situating inequalities in urban air quality contexts, for example, surface ozone air pollution. In this talk, I will share our work advancing the application of satellite remote sensing for measuring neighborhood-scale air pollution inequalities and improving our understanding of their sources and chemistry—analyses that also challenge satellite observations analytically and push the bounds of their use in atmospheric chemistry research. Examples will include intraurban variability in trace-gas enhancement ratios of combustion pollutants (∆NO₂/∆CO), relationships between ozone chemistry and spatial patterns in precursor emissions, air pollution inequalities associated with industrialized agriculture, and a preview of our new satellite/model product, the Enhanced OMI NO₂ (EON) Network, a daily 0.02° x 0.02° NO2 product over 2005–2025 for major cities globally. I will discuss our results in ways that are relevant to decision-making, with satellite measurements having the potential to transform the demands people can place on their policymakers.