09.30.08

Stephen Cole 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-0918 
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov 

Jennifer Morcone 
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 
256-544-0034 
jennifer.j.morcone@nasa.govRELEASE: H-08-247

'SMOG BLOG' FOR CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN DEBUTS

WASHINGTON -- NASA and its partners today unveiled a new way to 
connect satellite air quality data with communities in Central 
America and the Caribbean. The MesoAmerican and Caribbean Smog Blog, 
a Web site interpreting local and regional air quality, was 
introduced at a news conference in Panama City in conjunction with a 
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) in the Americas 
symposium. 

The Smog Blog provides timely information about air pollution and its 
sources in the region, helping the public, governments, and health 
officials monitor air quality and mitigate negative health impacts. 
The blog is written by faculty and students at the University of 
Panama and staff from the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin 
America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC). It is the newest addition to 
SERVIR (Spanish for "to serve"), a regional environmental monitoring 
system that leverages the satellite resources of the United States 
and other countries to put Earth observation data and other tools 
into action in Central America. 

"CATHALAC has truly taken a leadership role in understanding how NASA 
atmospheric research information can benefit the citizens of 
Mesoamerica," said Teresa Fryberger, associate director of Applied 
Sciences in NASA's Earth Science Division in Washington and co-chair 
of the U.S. Group on Earth Observations. "With Smog Blog, Central 
American environmental and health officials will be able to better 
communicate warnings about hazardous air conditions so the public can 
take appropriate precautions." 

Posts are made at least three times a week by trained personnel using 
information from satellites, air quality forecast models and 
soon-to-be-operational ground-based monitors. Satellites from NASA 
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

provide air quality information of use to the region. Data from NASA's 
Terra and Aqua satellites provide a variety of atmospheric 
measurements. The NASA-French Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared 
Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite mission provides 
bloggers with data about regional airborne particles. NOAA's 
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites provides 
continuous monitoring of Earth necessary for timely, intensive data 
analysis. Another NOAA data asset providing material is a Hazard 
Mapping System that detects wildfires from space and tracks the smoke 
they produce. 

"The Smog Blog and other activities reflect the work of many partners 
in supporting the realization of GEOSS in the Western Hemisphere," 
said Emilio Sempris, director of CATHALAC. "In our region, this 
exciting initiative is going to improve the quality of life in vital 
sectors, including public health, energy, weather, climate, and 
agriculture." 

A U.S. Smog Blog has been operated for five years by a team at the 
University of Maryland Baltimore County. The site draws 35,000 visits 
a month, mainly state and local air quality forecasters. It is a 
daily resource for "big picture" analysis of nationwide air quality 
and insights into how national trends may affect communities locally. 
Through a NASA cooperative agreement, the U.S. Smog Blog team is 
working with the SERVIR collaboration to bring this communications 
tool to Central America. 

"The Smog Blog has been a powerful communications tool here in the 
United States," said Erica Zell, co-developer of the Smog Blog and 
research scientist for Battelle Memorial Institute. "We hope through 
sharing real-time air quality information in this region we will make 
an impact in preventing future harm. Pollution and acid rain have 
damaged ancient Mayan ruins and air quality has immense public health 
impacts in this region." 

Support for the new Smog Blog is provided by CATHALAC, the University 
of Panama, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Panama's 
national environmental authority, the World Bank and Battelle 
Memorial Institute. NASA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
and the U.S. Agency for International Development fund this 
initiative. 

The Group on Earth Observations is coordinating intergovernmental 
efforts to build GEOSS, a network designed to better understand, 
monitor and forecast changes in the global environment. Driven by the 
75-government Group on Earth Observations, GEOSS in the Americas is 
working as a catalyst for regional initiatives by advancing the use 
of Earth observations, encouraging shared use of data, and leveraging 
regional assets. 

The SERVIR system, developed by researchers at NASA's Marshall Space 
Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., was introduced in 2005 in Panama at 
CATHALAC. SERVIR takes a global approach to environmental challenges 
by pooling Earth observation tools and data. 

To read the MesoAmerican and Caribbean Smog Blog, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/servir 

and 

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/servir/index.html  

&gt; Photo

	
-end-