Aerial Study of Arctic Pollution
NOAA Aircraft to Probe and Measure Pollutants in the North
Apr 8, 2008
As part of the International Polar Year 2008 , some 35 scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are conducting airborne surveillance of arctic pollution this spring. The Aerosol, Radiation, and Cloud Processes affecting Arctic Climate Change (ARCPAC) Project will be based in the Alaska communities of Barrow and Fairbanks.
In an Agency press release, Earth System Research Laboratory Director A.R. Ravishankara says of the effort, “The Arctic is changing before our eyes. Capturing in detail the processes behind this large and surprisingly rapid transformation is a unique opportunity for understanding climate changes occurring elsewhere.”
NOAA scientists are concerned about the affect of airborne particles have on arctic clouds, the impact of soot deposited on the snow, and interactions of halogens on low-level ozone. ARCPAC will attempt to measure pollutants found in the arctic to answer some basic questions.
ARCPAC Project Questions - Scientists will be using a NOAA WP-3D Lockheed Orion aircraft equipped with almost 30 airborne sensors to answer key questions about the arctic environment:
- What are measurable characteristics of aerosol pollutants like soot found in the springtime Arctic environment?
- What are the sources of these airborne aerosols in the arctic?
- What are the characteristics of thin clouds found in the arctic troposphere and how do pollution particles affect these clouds?
- How do pollution particles serve as nuclei for formation of ice?
- Do soot particles serve as ice nuclei in the arctic?
- What are the affects of halogens like chlorine and bromine on the arctic atmosphere?
Lockheed WP-3D Orion Specifications and Performance - The P-3 Orion aircraft started life as naval submarine warfare aircraft. NOAA has long used the four engine turboprop aircraft for severe storm research flights. Aircraft flying out of Fairbanks can travel to Barrow and conduct research for four hours before needing to return.
- Length 116.83 feet (35.6 meters)
- Wing Span 99.63 (30.4 meters)
- Diameter of Fuselage 11.25 (3.4 meters)
- Service Ceiling 25,000 feet (7,620 meters)
- Research Operational Speed 200 knots (370 kilometers per hour)
- Operating Range 1,600 nautical miles (2,963 kilometers)
- Mission Endurance 8 hours aloft
- Fuel Consumption 4,500 to 6,000 pounds per hour (2,041 to 2,722 kilograms)
- Fuel Payload 58,000 lbs (26,308 kilograms)
- Maximum Science Equipment Payload 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) internal capacity with additional instruments mounted externally on wings
NOAA will crew its research aircraft with a crew of seven. These include the aircraft commander, pilot, flight engineer, navigator, flight director and meteorologist, and two technicians. The transportation of pollutants from the middle latitudes to the polar regions is a recognized phenomenon. The ARCPAC Project will help scientists better understand the affects of these pollutants on the arctic environment.
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