Nitric acid from new Microwave Limb Sounder on Aura (WMS)

  • Released Thursday, January 27, 2005
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Nitric Acid (HNO3) in the atmosphere as measured by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument on NASA's Aura satellite. MLS can simultaneously measure several trace gases and ozone-destroying chemicals in the upper troposphere and photosphere. In this series of animations we present chlorine monoxide (ClO), hydrogen chloride (HCl), nitric acid (HNO3), ozone (O3), water vapor (H2O) and temperature measurements. These are 'first light' data taken when the MLS was operated for the first time. Nitric acid is created from the nitrogen oxide emitted by automobiles.

This animation shows nitric acid (HNO3) in the atmosphere from August 13 through October 15, 2004. Red represents high concentrations; blue represents low concentrations. The spatial resolution is low: each pixel covers an area of 5 degrees longitude by 2 degrees latitude, so the entire world (except for 1 degree at each pole) is covered by the 72x89 pixel images.

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Color scale for nitric acid concentration. Values shown range from 0.9 to 15.3 ppbv (parts per billion by volume).

Color scale for nitric acid concentration. Values shown range from 0.9 to 15.3 ppbv (parts per billion by volume).

For More Information

See http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/aura_first.html

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Scientific Visualization Studio

This page was originally published on Thursday, January 27, 2005.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:56 PM EDT.

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