Overview
- The airstrikes that struck oil depots and a refinery in Tehran on March 7 ignited fires that burned for days and produced a large pollution plume.
- Chinese and European satellites traced the plume and estimated about 29,800 tonnes of sulfur dioxide spread across roughly 300,000 square kilometres.
- Researchers compared the release to a small volcanic eruption, noting peak SO2 amounts similar to a day of Eyjafjallajökull and a plume that reached Central Asia and parts of China.
- Sulfur dioxide can form sulfuric acid in air and rain, and the burning facilities likely emitted soot, heavy metals and volatile organics that can irritate lungs and contaminate water and crops.
- The study shows continuous satellite tracking can map exposure quickly, but lack of on-site monitoring and communications limits in Iran prevented ground confirmation and timely local warnings.