Explorer-in-Training Paige Hoel takes a reading from a sunphotometer during the 2022 Puerto Rico Mapping and Deep-Sea Camera Demonstration. During expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, in support of a project led by NASA, NOAA Ocean Exploration uses a sunphotometer, a type of light meter, to measure maritime aerosols. These tiny solid and liquid particles are suspended in the atmosphere above the ocean (e.g., windblown dust, sea salts, volcanic ash, smoke from fires, and pollution) and are important to scientists because they can affect climate, weather, and people's health.
Sunphotometer Reading
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2022 Puerto Rico Mapping and Deep-Sea Camera Demonstration.
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Maritime aerosol measurments can only be taken on clear, sunny days. Luckily, we've had plenty of them during the 2022 Puerto Rico Mapping and Deep-Sea Camera Demonstration. Here, Paige Hoel, an explorer-in-training uses a sunphotometer to collect data for NASA's Maritime Aerosol Network.