In this animation, different types of atmospheric particles are represented by different colors. “The easiest to see are the reddy-orange particles; those are dust, and you can see them streaming them off the Sahara,” says Schmidt. Also worth noting: white particles (pollution from burning coal and volcanoes); red dots (fires); and blue swirls (sea salt being whipped up into the air by the wind). “All of these particles in the air also affect the climate,” Schmidt says. Bringing together such disparate data in order to see how they all work together allows scientists to consider different future scenarios — and then plan for them.
<< Back
