NASA has created a video that makes “visible” carbon emissions into the Earthʼs atmosphere

Author:
Liza Brovko
Date:

NASAʼs space agency has created a visualization of how invisible carbon emissions circulate around the planet, limiting heat radiation into space and contributing to global warming.

The video shows exactly where most of this greenhouse gas is emitted and how it moves throughout the year. Three videos show CO2 emissions in 2021.

Blue dots indicate where carbon is absorbed primarily by ocean waters, and green dots by land. For example, the Amazon rainforest actively absorbs carbon. The video is dominated by orange and red clouds. The first are emissions from fossil fuels, and the second are from burning biomass.