Watch carbon dioxide move through Earth’s atmosphere with this high resolution mode.

Watch carbon dioxide move through Earth’s atmosphere.

With this high resolution model, scientists can see CO2 rising from sources like power plants, fires, and cities and watch how that carbon dioxide spreads via wind patterns and atmospheric circulation.

Why does the map look like it’s pulsing? That’s the day-night cycle. ☀️🌖

Fires flare up daily and die down at night, and plants take up CO2 during the day as they photosynthesize and release it at night through respiration.

Models like this one are important because humans can’t tackle climate change without understanding our carbon dioxide emissions. CO2 is a heat-trapping greenhouse gas and the primary reason for Earth’s rising temperature.

Video description:

Data visualization of a model showing carbon dioxide emissions. It starts by showing a glove showing mostly North and South America and zooms in on the U.S. Thin lines of bright orange pop up and mix into pale yellow-brown swirls in the atmosphere. The animation seems to blink, indicating the day-night cycles of carbon dioxide emissions. The animation zooms out and the globe spins, showing other continents.