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NASA Satellite Spots Foul Pollution Trails Over Shipping Lanes
Thick trails of lung-damaging nitrogen dioxide stretch from ports in China, India and the Middle East, and fume off of coastal cities worldwide.
Nitrogen dioxide is a nasty gas produced largely by internal-combustion engines. A small whiff of NO2 is enough to anesthetize the nose, and its chemical byproducts can harm the cardiovascular system and trash a good pair of lungs.
This pernicious pollutant is rampant throughout the planet, but nowhere moreso than above the heavily trafficked lanes of international shipping vessels. While we don't often see (or even think about) the smoke-belching monsters that bring us our Japanese tuna belly and cheap Indian shirts, NASA has found a nifty way to visualize the collective pollution that boats pump into the atmosphere.