--- title: Watch: New NASA Images Show US Air Pollution Dropping description: The air we breathe is a bit better, new images show canonical: https://time.com/2937884/nasa-air-pollution/ author: TIME Video article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-29T15:31:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:57:41.391Z article:section: Science og:title: Watch: New NASA Images Show US Air Pollution Dropping og:description: The air we breathe is a bit better, new images show og:url: https://time.com/2937884/nasa-air-pollution/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb0fdc393214bae6/698699d135ba6f0627c02d02/1383451.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Los Angeles Air Still Among Nation's Dirtiest og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch: New NASA Images Show US Air Pollution Dropping twitter:description: The air we breathe is a bit better, new images show twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb0fdc393214bae6/698699d135ba6f0627c02d02/1383451.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch: NASA Says U.S. Air Pollution Has Plummeted > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=cad1fdf0-1928-4bb3-9a81-2bff4bdc65fe&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: New Nasa Images Show US Air Quality Improvement [Watch (HLS stream): New Nasa Images Show US Air Quality Improvement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/RoXBFd4v.m3u8) (1:57)  _Published 2014-06-29. NASA satellite data shows that, at least by one measure, air pollution has decreased recently. Brian Todd reports._ by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Jun 29, 2014 3:31 PM UTC NASA satellite data shows that, at least by one measure, air pollution has decreased recently. Brian Todd reports. by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Jun 29, 2014 3:31 PM UTC Striking new images released by NASA[ this week](http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/27/us/nasa-air-quality/) show significant reductions in air pollution levels across the United States. In particular, at least one pollutant, nitrogen dioxide, has decreased substantially over the past decade. After ten years in orbit, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on [NASA’s Aura satellite](http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/) showed that the decrease is particularly prominent in the Northeast, the Ohio River Valley, and other major cities. For example, NASA [reported](http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/new-nasa-images-highlight-us-air-quality-improvement/#.U7Ar8ZRdUhE) a 32% decrease in New York City and a 42% decrease in Atlanta between the periods of 2005-2007 and 2009-2011. Air pollution decreased even though population and the number of cars on the roads have increased, and the shift can be explained as a result of better regulations, technological improvements and economic shifts, scientists said. “While our air quality has certainly improved over the last few decades, there is still work to do – ozone and particulate matter are still problems,” [said ](http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/new-nasa-images-highlight-us-air-quality-improvement/#.U7Ar8ZRdUhE)Bryan Duncan, an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. ## Transcript Dramatic new satellite pictures from NASA that dial back doom and gloom predictions about our air quality. This progression map shows by at least one measure, the air in the United States has improved. Over the last decade, nitrogen dioxide has decreased, in cities across the U. S. Red and orange are the worst areas, green and blue are better, especially along the densely populated I- 95 corridor in the northeast, the difference is striking. This represents a map in 2005 of nitrogen oxide, and you can tell by the red levels, that pollutant levels are really high, all along the eastern seaboard, the Ohio River Valley, the major cities of the U. S. like Atlanta and Chicago. Mm- hm. And then, what do we have now? Well now, we have much lower levels of this pollutant. Levels have gone down by about 40 % since 2005. Nitrogen dioxide, is a yellow brown smog, that comes mostly from vehicles and coal burning power plants. It forms ozone, the gas in the atmosphere that burns our lungs. So, why is the air getting better, even though the number of cars on the road has increased? Our pollute levels are still going down, and that's because the cars are becoming more fuel efficient. And, new coal burning power plants now scrub much of the pollution out, before it can get to our lungs. The World Health Organization says in 2012, about 3. 7 million people around the world died, from the effects of outdoor air pollution, most of them in Asia. Experts say the people who smog has hit the hardest, are the ones who can really feel this improvement in our air. People who have asthma, they definitely can tell that they're breathing easier. And it's easier when we're looking at it on a long- term basis or looking at hospital records or other medical records. Nitrogen dioxide levels are also a good indicator of how other pollution is trending. But experts say, it's not all good news, there are other pollutants out there, causing harm. 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