Major Biogeochemical Processes Visualized by Aerosols Dust storms VolcanoesAnthropogenic pollution These processes are producing visible aerosols in form of dust, smoke, and haze. The quantity and spatial-temporal distribution of dust and smoke and haze can be used to characterize the flow of substances through the atmosphere. Fires

Living Earth The Earth is also like a living organism. It has become necessary to monitor the health of planet Earth. The Earth is constantly changing due to physical aging and evolution of the biosphere. Some of the changes occur slowly in a steadily and foreseeably, other changes occur quickly, unexpectedly, and unevenly in space and time. From human point of view, many of these abrupt changes are catastrophic events. Some of the changes, short and long term, are caused by human activities and those are controllable.

Explaining Change The basic elements of life including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium are in constant circulation between the earth’s major environmental compartments: atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. These earth’s compartments remain in balance as long as the rate of flow of matter and energy in and out of the compartments is unchanged. Changes in the environmental compartments will occur if the circulation (in and out flow) of the substances is perturbed. For example, the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been increasing because the rate of input is larger than the rate of output from the atmosphere.

Health Care The physicians evaluate a patient’s health by measuring the temperature, pulse rate, the cholesterol level and other vital signs. For diagnosis, doctors use many tools, like x-ray images, ultrasound scans, usually in combination.

Sensing and Monitoring Today’s earth scientists evaluate the physiology of planet earth also by monitoring the temperature, carbon dioxide, ozone, biomass, cloudiness, and many other parameters as the vital signs of the interconnected Earth System. The observational instruments of earth sciences include thermometers, chemical sampling analysis of air, land and water, as well as earth observing satellites.

Sensory-Motor Response to Changes Regardless whether the Earth is considered ‘healthy’ or ‘sick’, the inevitable and unforeseeable environmental changes require response to these changes: The response includes the following major steps: The above three steps are the necessary conditions for sustainable development. This is logical since all living organisms use this type of sensory-motor feedback to maintain their existence. Sensing and recognition (monitoring) Reasoning and explaining (sciences) Decision making, action (management)

AQ Management: Sensory-Motor System Air Quality Assessment Compare to Goals Plan Reductions Track Progress Controls (Actions) Monitoring (Sensing) Set Goals CAAA NAAQS Assessment turns data into knowledge for decision making & actions through analysis (science & engineering) Monitoring collects multi-sensory data from surface and satellite platforms and NASA ESE data, tools and methods can benefit air quality (AQ) management through extended monitoring, data sharing tools and better science. The proposed project focuses on air quality management of particulate matter (aerosols).