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Santiago Gassó

@sangasso.bsky.social

4K followers 610 following 1.4K posts

Research on atmospheric aerosols w/satellites, models & impacts such as atmos-ocean exchange processes (SOLAS!). Atmos. polarization radiative transfer, #physics overall. Sharing and commenting on papers and sat images of (my) interest #highlatitudedust .. more

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · Jun 3

🧪

Below is an old self-introduction and description of what I have fun with (professionally speaking) .

The times are quite different than when I posted this, but well, we are still here, chugging along and hoping for the best.

Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · Dec 27

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Hello all, there are a lot of new people here so I thought of re-introducing myself. I am a Earth Observation (EO) aerosol scientist contracted to work for the only agency that has put people on the moon.
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Reposted by Santiago Gassó

Tom Gill @tomgillpredicts.bsky.social · 14h

news.uci.edu/2025/10/14/s...

Study links wind-blown dust from receding Salton Sea to reduced lung function in area children

UC Irvine-led researchers urge continued monitoring, intervention to mitigate air pollution

news.uci.edu

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Reposted by Santiago Gassó

Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) @solas-ipo.bsky.social · 1d

📢 Opportunity Alert!
The MEL Visiting Fellowship Program at Xiamen University invites applications from scholars in marine sciences for 1–6 month research stays.
🗓️ Deadline: 15 November 2025
🌐 More info: mel.xmu.edu.cn/exchange/vis...

Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 1d

Estimates vary, but conventional wisdom indicates it is not a huge effect now (still there are many details to be worked out though). But it looks it was more impactful during ice-ages.

Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 1d

🧪🌍💨🌊

Aerosol deposition underestimated over the global ocean

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

@solas-ipo.bsky.social @usocb.bsky.social

Client Challenge

www.nature.com

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 2d

Good sentinel image!

Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 2d

Enjoying a classic book, very good for refreshing concepts and learning on #chiral materials (and symmetry in our world ) and those who studied it.
Really good background info of u r interested in optical #polarization .

#physics @drskyskull.bsky.social

Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 2d

🛰️🌎🌬️
This morning in central Patagonia, #highlatitudedust activity.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Dawn J. Wright, Santiago Gassó

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 2d

ICYMI, here is the press release for my study with @drjuliawester.bsky.social - we surveyed over 800 scientists who use social media. They overwhelmingly agree that Twitter is no longer useful or pleasant, and that for all professional online scientist goals, Bluesky is superior.
🧪 #SciComm 🌍

“Twitter sucks now and all the cool kids are moving to Bluesky:” Our new survey shows that scientists no longer find Twitter professionally useful or pleasant

My colleague Dr. Julia Wester and I have a new paper out in the journal Integrative and Comparative Biology reporting on the results of a survey distributed to over 800 scientists, science educator…

www.southernfriedscience.com

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 2d

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Yesterday in Central Argentina, #dust and #smoke mixed because coincident & different air masses. Winds from the W went over the Andes and fanned fires in the Cordoba province hills. Smoke remain relatively high. Same time a lower cold front from the south lifted dust plumes (brownish).

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Reposted by Santiago Gassó

Worldview Earth Data 🌍🌱 @wed-explorer.bsky.social · 5d

What is causing poor #AirQuality in #Milan ?😷

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Milan’s poor air quality stems from its spot in Italy’s Po Valley, wedged between the Alps & Apennines. The fertile plains host dense industry & farms, producing 35% of Italy’s crops plus bricks & tiles — but also major emissions.🚜🏭🔥 #MilanSmog

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 5d

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By sunset over Patagonia today, copious amount of #highlatitudedust was being injected in the southern Atlantic region.

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 6d

@aerosolwatch.bsky.social @mparrington.bsky.social @tomgillpredicts.bsky.social

Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

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Streaks of #highlatitudedust emitted in southern #Iceland.

This example illustrates an important fact about using polar sensors to detect pollution (dust in this case) and sensor spatial resolution.

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

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This morning #highlatitudedust in central Patagonia, copious amounts are reaching the city of Comodoro Rivadavia , where webcams show significant visibility decrease.

Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

So a lot of work is done by satellite teams (like the ones at NASA and NOAA) to reconcile and understand these differences and make sure that different satellites are consistent in reporting properties from the same geophysical phenomenon.

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

Here are the same from DT algorithm from NOAA20 sensor (native pixel 750m, aggregated at 6x6km).
In this case, there are much fewer retrievals, because each pixel is a bit too big and it captures the plume & clear sky nearby resulting in smaller observed reflectance. This results in lower AOD 5/n

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

Here are the AODs derived from the DT algorithm from TERRA sensor native spatial res is 500m and product reported a 3km. (only high values are shown)

Each individual plume is well resolved and there is a clear sharp contrast in AOD between center of plume and outside.
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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

The issue is that frequently there is variability of the derived AOD between sensors because calibration and spatial resolution differences.

so let's look at this example in more detail... 3/n

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

From the observed reflectance in the image, the operational sensors provide the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and from it , particle matter (the actual parameter of interest for AQ applications) is indirectly derived. How much is present informs decision makers on whether e.g issue AQ alerts. 2/n

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

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A lot of pollution this morning in northern #Italia.

Satellite detected optical depths (a proxy for particulate concentration) from the MODIS sensor indicates high values, consistent with very high PM presence.

Reposted by Santiago Gassó

Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) @solas-ipo.bsky.social · 7d

📢 Open Position Alert!
GEOMAR is hiring a Scientist/Postdoc (18 months, full time) to support the operation & expansion of the MEMENTO database within the EU project BioGeoSea 🌊🔬

🗓️ Apply by 19 Oct 2025
🔗 www.geomar.de/en/karriere/...

#JobAlert #OceanScience #Research #GEOMAR #BioGeoSea

Scientist (m/f/d) for the operation and expansion of the MEMENTO database

www.geomar.de

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 7d

that seems like a big poo patch....

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 8d

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A #volcanotrack in Bristol island in the S. Atlantic. It is rare to see activity in this 🌋. Frankly I do not recall ever seeing it active (I have been making obs in this area +15yrs). It appears that activity lasted about 2 days.
Emissions remain low in altitude & wrap up w/orographic wave.

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 9d

Oh, good catch,
I was not aware of the presence of such aerosol type in será where my default has been mostly dust and sometimes mixed with dust.

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Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 11d

A moose?

Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 11d

sorry to hear that....

Santiago Gassó @sangasso.bsky.social · 11d

🛰️🌍🌊💨🧊

More #highlatitudedust yesterday this time in the northern hemisphere, in Greenland.

This MODIS Terra image does not clearly show source, probably because dust emission ended before the satellite overpass . GOES image shows that it was active during sunrise and before Terra overpass.