00-71 African smog and its role in global change are under study by NASA and international scientists tracking the movement of air pollution in the southern part of the continent. The southern African atmosphere is particularly vulnerable to air pollution due to a persistent high-pressure system there.
African smog is a soup of smokes from industry, mining, agricultural burning and other sources.
We want to better understand the effects that smoke, haze and trace gases have on the African and global climate. We also want to help improve remote measurements of the Earth's surface, for example, measurements of vegetation and ocean color. Flights and science activities are based in Pietersburg, Republic of South Africa. The aircraft is carrying instruments that will, in part, validate instruments on NASA s Terra satellite. The ER-2 carries simulators for three of Terra s five instruments.