Satellite measurements of aerosols and aerosol characteristics from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO), and the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instruments are available on global and regional scales. These measurements are essential for air quality research and applications. Example applications of CALIPSO and MISR data products for air quality studies will be presented.

CALIPSO provides new insights into aerosol abundance, size and layers, including volcanic emissions, dust storms, clouds, and pollution events with measurements from three instruments, Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization, Imaging Infrared Radiometer, and Wide Field Camera.

MISR collects multi-angle as well as multi-spectral data never before obtained by satellite instruments. The additional information contained in these data make it possible to obtain aerosol amount, particle size and composition, as well as plume heights.

The Atmospheric Science Data Center in Langley's Science Directorate leads NASA's program for the processing, archival and distribution of Earth science data in the areas of radiation budget, clouds, aerosols, and tropospheric chemistry. The Data Center was established in 1991 to support NASA's Earth Observing System and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. It is unique among NASA data centers in the size of its archive, cutting edge computing technology, and full range of data services. Additional information about all ASDC data products, images and tools is available from the ASDC web site, http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov.