First launched in 1999, NASA's Terra satellite has collected data that shows how carbon monoxide has decreased significantly around the globe in the last 14 years.

Human acvitity is responsible for a portion of the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere due to the burning of carbon-based fuels such as oil, natural gas, coal and wood. Given that the Northern Hemisphere has a larger presence of human activity, it contains about twice the amount of carbon monoxide as the Southern Hemisphere,. Natural sources of carbon monoxide include volcanoes and wildfires.

A decline in the pollutants released by vehicles and industries makes up a significant chunk of the carbon monoxide decrease we've seen in the last 14 years, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.that the decrease is likely tied to both improvements in technology and regulatory changes.

This animation shows the decrease in the levels of carbon monoxide around the world 2000-2014. Darker orange and red shadings show the highest concentrations of carbon monoxide. Notice the significant change in the Northern Hemisphere.

(NASA)

When it comes to the topic of global warming,that carbon monoxide is not considered a direct greeenhouse gas, and therefore doesn't affect climate change directly.However, can affect concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

For humans, the reduction of carbon monoxide is important for health reasons. , carbon monoxide can disrupt the flow of oxygen to the body's organs and tissues. It also leads to the development of ground-level ozone, which the can be a health problem for children, the elderly and anyone that has lung diseases such as asthma.

To read NASA's full article on the decline of the world's carbon monoxide, .

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