NASA Mission Utilizes Ground Sensors and Satellite Technology to Study Air Pollution in Ethiopia and U.S. Cities
A NASA-funded air pollution monitoring network is providing detailed, long-term insights into black carbon and PM2.5 levels in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) project, established in 2022, uses 10 ground-based air quality monitoring sites to track pollution changes by time of day and season. The research has identified significant increases in black carbon during holidays involving bonfires and can differentiate between particles from fires and fossil fuel combustion. The study found that Addis Ababa's three-year average PM2.5 concentration was 30 micrograms per cubic meter, more than three times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s annual standard. Black carbon levels in Addis Ababa were also found to be approximately four to nine times higher than those measured in the three U.S. metropolitan areas monitored by MAIA: Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Boston. Ethiopia has taken steps to improve air quality, including banning the import of internal combustion engine vehicles... 
