MULTIMEDIA - Atmospheric Chemistry

Atmospheric Aerosols - Introduction and Overview

Atmospheric aerosols are particles of liquids or solids that are small enough to float in the air. They can have effects on health and global climate change. Read more >>

Atmospheric Aerosols: Health, Environmental and Policy of Particulates in the US-Mexico Border Region. Featuring Mario Molina, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCSD, Nobel Laureate, Chemistry (1995); Mark Thiemens, Dean, Division of Physical Sciences, UCSD; and Enrique Hambleton, President of Board, Pronatura Noroeste.

 UCSD-TV (Real Player)    click here >>

en Espanol (Real Player) click here >>

Workshop Presentations

Kimberly A. Prather
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCSD
Advances in our Understanding of the Roles of Aerosols in
Global Climate Change
   (PPT 23.9 MB)

Mark H. Thiemens
Dean of UCSD's Division of Physical Sciences
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCSD
Studying Atmospheric Aerosols from Antarctica to Ecuador
   (PPT 35.6 MB)
Monitoring Atmospheric Aerosols    (Video)

Mario J. Molina
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCSD
2003 Field Measurement Campaign
Mexico City Metropolitan Area
   (PPT 7.5 MB)


Monitoring Atmospheric Aerosols (video)  
Join Mark Thiemens, dean of UCSD's Division of Physical Sciences and Kimberly Prather, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, to learn more about a new technique that makes it possible to monitor atmospheric pollution in real time. (16 minutes)

Additional Resources

• Background information on atmospheric aerosols from NASA Facts On-line
• Earth’s atmosphere basics from NASA
  
  Health effects of atmospheric aerosols
• Statistics and resources on asthma are available from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
• Information on the heath effects of air pollution from the American Lung Association
• Discussion of air quality index and particulate matter from the University of Michigan
  
  Effects of atmospheric aerosols on the ozone layer

• A description of ozone balance, ozone depletion and the difference between “good” and “bad” ozone is available from NASA’s SOLAR
• Detailed information about ozone, ozone depletion, common myths about ozone, a link to the Montreal Protocol, etc. available from the Environmental Protection Agency
  
  Climate effects of atmospheric aerosols
• “Human-produced Aerosols in Many Arctic Clouds Contribute to Climate Warming” Scripps Institution of Oceanography Center for Atmospheric Sciences
• Clouds, aerosols and climate change information from NASA’s Earth Observatory
  
  Atmospheric aerosols visualizations and data sets
• Use of satellites and animations to distinguish human pollution from other atmospheric particles by NASA’s Earth Observatory
• Air quality real time images from the USDA Forest Service
• Global aerosol and ozone mapping from NASA
• Atmospheric animations from NASA’s Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICES)
• More about the techniques used to study atmospheric aerosols from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  
  Air Quality Legislation
• Federal air quality legislation from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration   
• Link to the South Coast Air Quality Management District