Critical Review

The 55^th Annual A&WMA Critical Review

Satellite Data to Support Air Quality Assessment and Management

Authors: Tracey Holloway, Jennifer Bratburd, Arlene Fiore, Gaige Kerr, and Jingqiu Mao
 

	Tracey Holloway, Lead Author and Presenter, is the Jeff Rudd and Jeanne Bissell Professor of Energy Analysis and Policy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Holloway works at the intersection of air quality, energy, climate, and public health. She serves as the two-time Leader of the NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team, which connects NASA data with stakeholder interests in air quality management and public health.
	Jenny Bratburd is a staff researcher for the Climate Solutions for Health lab and outreach program manager of the NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Bratburd’s interests are at the intersection of health, climate change, science policy and stakeholder engagement.
	Arlene Fiore is the Peter H. Stone and Paola Malanotte Stone Professor of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research interests include air pollution, chemistry-climate connections, trends and variability in atmospheric constituents, and biosphere-atmosphere interactions.
	Gaige Kerr is an Assistant Research Professor and Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at George Washington University. His research interest is in characterizing environmental health and equity issues associated with emissions and ambient air pollution.
	Jingqiu Mao is an Associate Professor at University of Alaska Fairbanks. His research is aimed at understanding the evolution in time and space of the trace gas and aerosol composition of the atmosphere, with a combination of field/lab measurements, global modeling and satellite observations.

Satellite data is increasingly valuable and relevant to air quality management. Satellite data can be used to inform long-range transport and trends, characterizing exceptional events, emissions estimates, model parameterization, environmental justice, and public outreach. Increases in spatial and temporal resolution in new instruments and long-term historical records from earlier instruments enable greater characterization of air pollution. In this 55th Annual A&WMA Critical Review, the authors examine current science of using satellite data, especially developments in the last 15 years since the 40th Annual A&WMA Critical Review on this subject.
 
This review explores how satellite data can be used in the air quality management cycle, with a focus on the United States, and also discussing advances in regional satellites in Asia and Europe. With a focus on nitrogen dioxide (NO2), aerosol optical depth (AOD) for particulate matter (PM), and ozone sensitivity, this review will explore methods for linking satellite measurements corresponding to near surface air quality. The authors also discuss case studies and applications, including environmental justice. This review traces the history and development of satellite data for air quality over the last 15 years, with guidance to help jumpstart new users, as well as discussions on strengths and limitations of satellite data that highlight new areas where satellites could play a larger role and opportunities for improvements.
 
The full-length paper will appear in the June 2025 issue of the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (JA&WMA) and its conclusions will be presented live as part of the 2025 A&WMA Annual Conference & Exhibition in Raleigh, North Carolina. Following the review presentation, a panel of invited experts will critique the presentation and offer their own views on the topic. Invited discussants will represent key stakeholder groups, including federal and state agencies; researchers; industry experts; NGOs; and community action groups. Comments also will be solicited from the floor during a live question-and-answer sequence to end the session. To complete the review process, the Critical Review Committee Chair will synthesize all of the discussion points into a single Discussion Paper that will be published in the October 2025 issue of JA&WMA.