This image shows the location of the country of Mexico and its capital, Mexico City. Mexico City is where the MILAGRO campaign took place.
Click on image for full size

Introduction to Milagro

MILAGRO stands for Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations. What that really means is that a team of researchers from around the world is in Mexico City to study the atmosphere there. The MILAGRO field campaign started in March 2006.

During MILAGRO, the scientists are using airplanes, radars, weather balloons, computers, and dozens of scientific instruments to study the atmosphere in and around Mexico City. Their purpose is to learn more about the air pollution that is given off by very large cities called megacities.

Air pollution affects visibility, human health, agriculture, and ecosystems. As cities around the world grow bigger than ever before, scientists are discovering that urban air pollution is powerful enough to affect Earth's weather and climate.

The MILAGRO team is focusing on how the air pollution particles released inside Mexico City change as the wind blows them downwind of the city. They also want to understand how chemistry in the atmosphere changes the pollution as it moves away from the city.

The researchers hope they can apply what they learn in Mexico City to other megacities around the world. They chose to hold MILAGRO in Mexico City because it ranks among the world's top three largest cities and has very polluted air.

Many people aren't familiar with field campaigns like MILAGRO. A field campaign is when a team of researchers—usually scientists, technicians, engineers and more—undertakes a large scientific research project in a certain location. Field campaigns can be large, lasting for weeks and involving many different people and different scientific instruments. After the campaign, the researchers often spend months and even years analyzing the data they got during the project.

Last modified March 15, 2006 by Randy Russell.

You might also be interested in:

Cool It! Game

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Aircraft Used in the MILAGRO Campaign

The MILAGRO scientists will use six different airplanes to study air pollution around Mexico City. Each plane will have different instruments onboard that will help scientists measure air pollution. They'll...more

MILAGRO Instruments

Researchers are setting up instruments on the ground during MILAGRO to make observations and measurements about the air around Mexico City that can't be made from airplanes. Here are a few examples of...more

Biomes and Ecosystems

Biomes are large regions of the world with similar plants, animals, and other living things that are adapted to the climate and other conditions. Explore the links below to learn more about different biomes....more

Atmospheric Chemistry of Earth's Troposphere

When you think of chemistry, do you think about mixing colored liquids in test tubes and maybe making an explosion... or at least a nice puff of smoke? Did you know that a lot of chemistry happens in Earth's...more

Ozone in the Troposphere

Did you know that ozone is found in two different layers of the atmosphere? You may have heard of the ozone hole problem - that is a lack of ozone in the stratosphere (the 2nd layer of the Earth's atomsphere)....more

Pollution's Effects on Us

The air is shared among all living things. When it is polluted by a factory in Asia, a fire in Australia, a dust storm in Africa, or car emissions in North America, the sharing continues despite the fact...more

Air Pollution and Atmospheric Visibility

Have you ever spent time in a large city? If so, the odds are you’ve seen the sky engulfed in a brownish-yellow or grayish-white haze due to air pollution. Such haze can reduce visibility from miles (kilometers)...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA