Air pollution - Sat-derived PM 2.5 concentration

Air pollution can be measured by the mean annual surface-level concentrations of PM2.5, which is available from 1998 to 2022 [van Donkelaar et al, 2021] at circa 1 km (0.01° × 0.01°) spatial resolution. This dataset combines data from different sources, including NASA MODIS, MISR, and SeaWIFS observations with the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model into a high-resolution map of air pollution. The dataset combines both human-induced PM2.5 emissions, emitted, for instance, by car engines, power plants, as well as fireplaces and biomass burning [NCRD 2014] and natural sources of PM2.5, which include forest fires and desert dust [McDuffie et al. 2021]. These fine particles, smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, pose enormous health risks as they can lodge deeply into the lungs [WHO 2019].