TECHNOLOGY
Eyes in the Sky
Satellite data can be used to assess the health impact of dust storms and the
spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Additional applications could be on the
horizon. by Jane Palmer
In June 2020, a giant Saharan dust storm wafted across the Atlantic Ocean and invaded the southeastern U.S. and the Caribbean. For several days, this “Godzilla” of dust inflicted dangerous levels of air pollution on residents of the Florida Panhandle, Texas, Oklahoma and Puerto Rico.
To investigate how dust clouds affect human health, and to help prepare for future storms, public health researchers at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus have turned to an unlikely medical research tool: satellites.