Observing and visualising the extent of environmental problems is crucial for prompting action, as seen in the boost in plastic eradication efforts following images of marine life tangled up in plastics.
Experts use various visualisation techniques to communicate the full extent of problems, and NASA's new set of videos offers a visual representation of the flux of carbon emissions over the Earth.
Carbon dioxide, despite making up only 0.04% of the atmosphere, is a primary contributor to global warming, and it circulates through the atmosphere, either being absorbed by natural ecosystems or roaming the world's airstreams.
NASA's videos illustrate the voyage of carbon dioxide from source to sink over the course of 2021 and use colour-coding to indicate the main contributors to carbon emissions.
The primary source of atmospheric CO2 consists of fossil fuels, with China consistently being the largest greenhouse gas emitter, and emissions from the Northern Hemisphere spilling over into other regions.
A significant reason for thick emissions in later months is due to plants absorbing CO2 during the growing months and releasing the gas through respiration during winter.
Australia primarily sequesters CO2 due to its low population density, but emissions from the Northern Hemisphere eventually obscure the entire continent by year-end, highlighting the extent to which industrialised countries contribute to emissions worldwide.
The videos reveal the urgency for robust climate action and underscore the far-reaching impact emissions on vulnerable populations.
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