Greetings from HAQAST

Dear HAQAST Community,
We have updates on the next HAQAST public meeting, new datasets, plus more upcoming events and opportunities of interest!
 
Save the Date! - HAQAST Showcase
Our next meeting, the HAQAST Showcase, is being planned for Tuesday, January 28th, 2025 at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC.  This meeting will highlight success over the last four years, including increasing public engagement with NASA data, measuring health risks in unmonitored regions, and improving regulatory decision-making tools.
  • To register, please indicate your interest in attending in-person or online on the registration form.
  • For stakeholders, travel funding will be available and awarded on a rolling basis. Please see eligibility criteria and complete the travel funding application here.
Please visit our website at https://haqast.org/haqast-showcase-2025/ to learn about the event. We hope to see you at the celebration of this generation of HAQAST!
 
HAQAST News

NASA Data Protects U.S. Embassy Staff and the Public from Polluted Air
United States embassies and consulates, along with the general public, now have a powerful tool to protect against polluted air, thanks to a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. State Department. The ZephAir website and mobile app now provides data for 270 U.S. embassies and consulates with three-day air quality forecasts for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). This HAQAST partnership included member Pawan Gupta as the lead scientist and HAQAST Ambassador Mary Tran of the U.S. Department of State. Read more about the project here!

Satellites See Impacts of Warehouse Expansion on Air Pollution
HAQAST members Yang Liu and Susan Anenberg have been exploring the impact of expanded warehousing and e-commerce hubs on pollution. In Yang Liu's recently published work, focused on Southern California, found that  found that warehouse expansion over the last two decades was associated with elevated PM2.5 and elemental carbon. This pollution disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations. Similar work with HAQAST member Susan Anenberg and led by co-I Gaige Kerr,  found that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is increased 20% near warehouses on average across the contiguous United States. Read the paper here, and news coverage here.
 
Community Feedback Requested

FarmFlux White Paper Community Feedback
  • Closes October 6 - FarmFlux is a NASA Earth Venture Suborbital (EVS-4) mission to quantify gas and particulate emissions from U.S. agriculture and connect agricultural activities through the atmosphere to Earth system impacts. This form solicits community feedback regarding science objectives, measurement and modeling strategy, related/collaborative activities, and the inclusion plan. Read the draft white paper here, and access the form here.
 
Upcoming Meetings and Events of Interest

  • September 25 - October 9 -  ARSET training: Introduction to Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Hyperspectral Observations for Water Quality Monitoring: A three-part introductory training webinar series providing an overview of past and current hyperspectral sensors. Register here.
  • September 30 - Air Monitoring Networks - Session II: Partnerships and Impact - How An Air Monitoring Network can Benefit the Community, will be held from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET. Learn more here and register here.
  • October 2 - Satellite Data for Environmental Justice Tiger Team monthly meeting will be at 11:00 ET. Contact team lead Qian Xiao (qian.xiao@uth.tmc.edu) if you would like to be added to the SD4EJ mailing list.
  • October 5-6 - NASA International Space Apps Challenge - This global hackathon offers the opportunity for participants to use their ingenuity to address 20 challenges written by NASA subject matter experts by proposing new technologies, finding actionable use for data, and inspiring learning and innovation. Read more and register here.
  • October 8 - The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced a new event, Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector, in partnership with the Initiative to Accelerate the National Climate and Health Movement. Join for a virtual public health session from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET. The webinar will feature remarks on the initiative’s priorities and accomplishments, as well as special remarks and a panel discussion on the national climate and health movement. Read more here.
  • October 8 - NOAA's Satellite Applications Symposium Series: Air. College Park, MD or virtually from 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EDT. Hear about evolving satellite capabilities to monitor the composition of the atmosphere, including air pollution that affects human health. Pre-registration is requested, and required for those attending in-person. Complete the form here.
  • October 9 - GEO Health Community of Practice Air Quality Work Group - Will be discussing monitoring and forecasting, and have presentations from Jordan Schnell (NOAA) and Kris Klein (PollenSense) on their work in this area. 9:00 ET (Teams link)
  • October 11 - DANA (Dust Alliance of North America) Fall 2024 Webinar Series - Mark Sweeney, University of South Dakota. Portable In situ Wind Erosion Laboratory (PI-SWERL): Improving our understanding of dust emissions. Fridays at 1 pm ET. Register here.
  • October 13 - Air Quality Education Working Group - *New* This group is maintaining a work list of air quality/environmental justice-related curricular materials (see here), identifying best practices for training educators on air quality, and developing air quality literacy standards. Contact Madelyn Percy (madelyn.percy@state.co.us) for more information.
  • October 15 - HAQAST TEMPO for Ozone Tiger Team Monthly meeting at 2:00pm ET. Contact Jenny Bratburd (bratburd@wisc.edu) to be added to the email list.
  • October 30 - For NOAA/NESDIS satellite users, the GeoXO Program Status Update will be held virtually at 1:30 p.m. EDT on October 30th, with a focus on advancing engagement and readiness for the next generation of ocean color satellites. Register here.
  • November 8 - DANA (Dust Alliance of North America) Fall 2024 Webinar Series- Keziyah Yisrael-Gayle, University of California, Riverside. Lipopolysaccharides from the Salton Sea microbiome drives pulmonary inflammation. Fridays at 1 pm ET. Register here.
  • December 9-13, 2024 - American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting 2024: Washington D.C.
  • January 12-16, 2025 - American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting 2025: New Orleans, LA
 
Funding Opportunities

Ambient PM Health Effects Research Funding Opportunity and Webinar
  • The Health Effects Institute (HEI) announced a new funding opportunity, RFA 24-2: Insights into the Health Effects of Exposure to Low Concentrations of Particulate Matter. Proposed studies must clearly articulate the relevance of the research to the human health effects of PM in the United States. An informational webinar will be held October 1st, at 11 am EDT for potential applicants. Read more and register for the optional webinar here. The deadline for preliminary applications is November 4th.

Heat Tabletop Exercise Planning Challenge
  • This challenge, in partnership with NOAA's Regional Collaboration Network and the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS), provides an opportunity for various governments to work with community-based organizations and other key partners in developing situation manuals for novel heat tabletop exercises. Submit your manual by the deadline for a chance to win a total of $200,000 in prizes! More here. Deadline November 15th.
 
Jobs/Internships

NASA DEVELOP
  • DEVELOP conducts feasibility studies that bridge the gap between Earth science information and society. These projects help both participants and partners learn more about using geospatial information. Applications due October 4 for the Spring 2025 window: Find the in-person or virtual opportunity that fits best for you and apply by the deadline! Learn more about the program, participant eligibility, application guidelines and further information here.
HEI Summer Fellowship Program
  • Mentor applications are now open, for researchers at academic institutions, nonprofiits, and state and local governments to mentor and host an undergraduate student during Summer 2025. Mentor applications are due October 25th. Fellow applications will open late November. Learn more here.
 
Call for Manuscripts

  • Geospatial data applications for environmental justice. This special collection from GeoHealth will feature applications of these novel geospatial technologies and data for understanding and addressing environmental injustice. Submissions are due December 31, 2024. Read more here.
  • Dust and dust storms: From physical processes to human health, safety, and welfare. GeoHealth welcomes submissions focused on both natural and contaminated dust events, that examine dust and dust storms from a multidisciplinary perspective. Submissions are due May 31, 2025. Read more here.
  • TEMPO Data Products, Science and Applications. This special collection (JGR: Atmospheres, Geophysical Research Letters, and Earth and Space Science) focuses on TEMPO data products, including their development, demonstration of societal benefits, usage through data assimilation or analysis to improve understanding Earth and atmospheric processes, and their synergy with other satellite data products. Submissions are due December 31, 2025. More here.
 
Data

MERRA-2 bias-corrected global hourly surface PM2.5 dataset
The MERRA-2 bias-corrected global hourly surface PM2.5 dataset is now publicly available. This dataset, developed by HAQAST PIs Pawan Gupta and co-I Alqamah Sayeed, has been derived by using the machine learning method, convolutional neural network. The dataset covers the period from 2000 to the present and will be updated through the end of 2024.  Please read more from the data release newsletter and data DOIs.

Gridded TROPOMI NO2 Data Available for Download
Gridded 1 x 1 km monthly, seasonal, and annual satellite TROPOMI NO2 data is available for download on the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) from efforts of HAQAST co-investigator Dan Goldberg. The dates range from May 2018-present. There is a collection both global and continental United States.

Preliminary TEMPO Data Now Available
TEMPO Version 03 (V03) Beta Level 1, 2, and 3 data are available as of May 20, 2024. These datasets are at beta maturity, meaning the product is minimally validated but may still contain significant errors; it is based on product quick looks using the initial calibration parameters. Because the products at this stage have minimal validation, users should refrain from making conclusive public statements regarding science and applications of the data products until a product is designated at the provisional validation status. Learn more about accessing the data here!
 
Resources

Health and Air Quality Community Forum
The Health and Air Quality Community Forum is a new resource intended for all levels of expertise to collaborate about health and air quality related topics. Everyone can view the forum and sign up to post questions, answers, and comments to discuss with peers and experts in the field. Come join our online community, and please share with anyone you think would be interested! Access the forum at this link: https://haq.community.forum/

NASA's Air Quality Data Pathfinder
The Air Quality Data Pathfinder has been redesigned to help guide users through the process of selecting and comparing datasets. the Pathfinder is also a gateway to resources for downloading, visualizing, and analyzing data. Check out this resource here!
 
Connect with HAQAST

We are always appreciative of your interest and involvement in the team. If you have colleagues who might also be interested, please invite them to sign up on our mailing list. You can also follow and connect with HAQAST on Twitter and LinkedIn, or reach out personally with Tracey (taholloway@wisc.edu) and Jenny (bratburd@wisc.edu).
All the best,
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