For the first time ever, real-time maps of tropospheric ozone levels in the tropics now are available to the world. Researchers from NASA and the University of Maryland have developed a new technique for retrieving near ground levels of ozone. Scientists have developed new techniques that allow them to track tropical ozone pollution from large fires. Ozone from African savanna fires ends up over the Atlantic, the Pacific and even Brazil.
Brazilian fires lead to ozone over the Atlantic and Pacific.
Scientists were able to track ozone from the enormous fires in Indonesia resulting from the El Nino-driven drought. The fires sent smoke and tropospheric ozone pollution to highly populated areas in Malaysia. Scientists have a special interest in smoke aerosols caused by fires because smoke contributes to the overall global air-pollution levels than can impact the quality of air that humans breathe. They also want to monitor smoke from large fires which may contribute to global climate change. Data collected in 1992-1993.