NASA | Aqua AIRS: Visions of Weather and Climate

The video discusses the AIRS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite, highlighting its role in improving weather forecasts and understanding climate systems. AIRS provides a 3D view of the atmosphere, aiding NOAA in enhancing weather predictions by six hours. It also helps in understanding the climate by studying water vapor and carbon dioxide, crucial for analyzing natural and human-induced climate change. The data reveals CO2's role in the greenhouse effect and tracks its global movement, uncovering unexpected emission sources in the southern hemisphere.

What was one of the primary goals of the AIRS instrument on Aqua?

• To study the ocean currents

• To improve weather forecasting

• To analyze soil composition

• To measure the Earth's magnetic field

How does the AIRS instrument contribute to understanding climate change?

• By analyzing soil erosion rates

• By tracking animal migration patterns

• By studying gases like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

• By measuring the Earth's core temperature

What is the main reason carbon dioxide has generated significant interest in climate studies?

• It is the primary component of water vapor

• It is significantly impacted by human activities

• It is the least reactive gas in the atmosphere

• It is the most abundant greenhouse gas

What unexpected discovery did the AIRS data reveal about carbon dioxide emissions?

• They are decreasing annually

• They form a large belt in the southern hemisphere

• They originate from the ocean floor

• They are only present in the northern hemisphere

Which regions were identified as unexpected sources of carbon dioxide emissions in the southern hemisphere?

• The Arctic and the Sahara Desert

• South America, South Africa, and Australia

• Antarctica and Greenland

• The Himalayas and the Andes