Science Turns the Earth's Atmosphere Into Art [VIDEO]

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The Earth's atmosphere experiences a roller coaster of changes over the course of 24 hours -- from dust storms and carbon bursts, to cyclones and sea salt swirls.

While the most sophisticated monitoring devices make 30 million atmospheric observations daily, they fail to fully capture the complex interactions within the permeable membrane surrounding our planet. That's where climate models come in.

Released this week, NASA's "Paint by Particle" video above illustrates Earth's aerosol movement (the suspension of airborne particles) from August 2006 to April 2007. Using mathematical experiments to move Earth forward and backward in time, researchers were able to capture how winds whip aerosols around the Earth. While the results are visually stunning, they also provide critical insight into how such tiny particles influence the entire planet's climate.

"It is a significant computational achievement, and a major undertaking to complete," says NASA research meteorologist William Putman. "We do expect to complete similar simulations in the coming months, with the period to be determined based on scientific interest for what are know as OSSE developments."

At first glance, the imagery resembles that of a animated Vincent van Gogh painting. But the beauty is in the details. Each color represents a different type of particle: dust (red), sea salt (blue), sulphate (white) and black and organic carbon (green).

Watch as they all come together to prove that science really is a work of art.

BONUS: This Year's Top Moments in Space

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