ClimateBits

We all breathe air. Monitoring Earth's air pollution from space shows how humans have a big effect on air quality and how it changes over time.

A chemical made of three oxygen atoms, ozone in the stratosphere is important because it absorbs harmful UV radiation from the sun, protecting life on Earth.

Most energy on Earth comes from the Sun as radiation. Lightbulbs illustrate the primary wavelengths of solar radiation received: longwave, shortwave, and ultra-violet.

The fraction of solar energy reflected from the Earth back to space. Bright surfaces (e.g., snow) reflect more; dark surfaces (e.g., roads), less. The global average albedo is 0.3

Earth takes a year to orbit the Sun and 24 hours to spin around its axis of rotation. The 23.5 degree tilt in the Earth's axis causes the seasons, depending on the latitude.