Deep Blue uses measurements made by satellite instruments orbiting the Earth to determine the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere, and the properties of those aerosols. 'Aerosols' is a catch-all term covering particles suspended in the atmosphere, including but not limited to desert dust, smoke, volcanic ash, industrial smog, and sea spray.

THOR data is usually visualized in two ways. The two examples below are from the March 2002 THOR Validation Campaign that took place over Oklahoma.