Health and the Environment

Researchers used observations of very small particulates in the air, as monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as via the satellite-based Global Annual PM2.5 Grids from MODIS, MISR and SeaWiFS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), v1 data set distributed by SEDAC, to uncover the relationship between air pollution and type 2 diabetes. Controlling for non-pollution factors like obesity, they found that tiny particulates are responsible for a significant number of diabetes cases and that reducing exposure to the pollution would yield significant health benefits.

Satellite data offer a particularly valuable perspective on PM2—small particles deriving mostly from burning fossil fuels and biomass, which can harm human health—because ground instruments may be unavailable or offer limited information, as is the case in China. With that in mind, researchers at Columbia University’s Earth Institute and Batelle Memorial Institute have developed maps based on satellite data that depict annual PM2.5 exposure in all of China’s provinces.