Open AccessMeasuring global sulfur dioxide emissions with satellite sensors
Author(s) -
Schultz Colin
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2013eo460019
Subject(s) - sulfur dioxide , environmental science , acid rain , atmospheric sciences , satellite , climate change , meteorology , sulfur , climatology , chemistry , geography , engineering , geology , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , aerospace engineering , oceanography
Atmospheric sulfur dioxide affects the weather by enhancing cloud formation, and long‐term shifts in emissions can change the climate by increasing the amount of solar radiation scattered back into space. Sulfur dioxide emissions are the basis for acid rain, and the gas itself can cause respiratory problems. Despite the compound's importance to climate, the difficulties associated with accurately measuring sulfur dioxide mean that rates of emissions are generally not well understood.