2025 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 21-30
Earth observation data from space is now familiar to the general public, and is very useful in people's daily lives, including weather forecasts and typhoon path predictions. However, we understand that satellite observations of atmospheric composition—observations of chemical substances present in the atmosphere from space—are also useful in monitoring air pollution and climate change, thus contributing to the conservation of the Earth’s environment, yet few people have a systematic understanding of how they are useful for humans. This is because when it comes to global environmental issues, satellite data is not directly linked to the convenience of people’s life, but is first mediated by policy. In this paper, we discuss the complementary roles of satellite observations and ground-based observations in the overall air quality observations, environmental policy, with the main focus on the satellite observations of nitrogen oxides, which is the main precursor of ozone and PM2.5. We also describe the unique roles of the latest satellite observations, including Japan’s GOSAT-GW (Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle) satellite to be launched during fiscal year 2025, for air pollution control policy.
