NASA’s International Air Quality Study: A Multi-Perspective Approach to Understanding Air Pollution

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is not just known for its space exploration missions but also for its contributions to understanding the Earth’s environment. One such initiative is the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ) mission, a collaborative effort between NASA and international researchers to study air quality in Asia.

The DC-8 aircraft, operated by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California, took off from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703, ascending against a cloudy gray sky. Its mission was to conduct test flights as part of the ASIA-AQ mission, which aimed to collect detailed atmospheric data over several locations in Asia.

NASA and its international partners, including Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), are working together to improve the understanding of the factors that control air quality. Multi-perspective observations are crucial because satellites, ground-sites, and aircraft each provide unique insights into air quality problems and their sources.

The DC-8 is outfitted with 26 instruments and flies at low altitudes to collect data from the atmosphere closest to the ground, where people and habitats are most impacted. Meanwhile, the G-III aircraft from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, flies at 28,000 feet altitude to create a high-resolution map of the pollution distribution in each study area and how it changes throughout the day. Together with Korean aircraft from NIER, these NASA planes and instruments supplement and cross-reference the observations made from ground and satellite instruments.

Laura Judd, platform scientist for NASA’s G-III aircraft, explained, “Science missions for air quality, like ASIA-AQ, take a holistic approach of multiple perspectives to better understand our pollution issues. If we can better understand how models simulate our air pollution, then we can forecast when these events unfold, and be able to disseminate that information to the public to make informed decisions.”

Pollution is a dynamic phenomenon that changes as populations shift, economies ebb and flow, and industries move or evolve. The ASIA-AQ project aims to improve our ability to measure these changes and how they connect to the global scale. By bringing scientists, aircraft, and instruments together from across Asia and around the world, ASIA-AQ demonstrates how scientific advancement is a collaborative effort.

Barry Lefer, NASA program scientist for air quality research at NASA Headquarters, stated, “Scientists and agencies in each of the participating countries will ensure that ASIA-AQ targets the most important open air quality questions in their specific region. And they’ll be the ones to implement improvements in their forecast models and advocate for policy changes.”

ASIA-AQ is a joint effort between NASA and Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) and several international organizations including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Philippines (DENR), the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency Thailand (GISTDA), and the Ministry of Environment Taiwan (MOENV).

The ASIA-AQ mission is a testament to the power of international collaboration in scientific research. By combining resources, expertise, and perspectives, researchers can tackle complex issues and make significant strides in understanding the world around us. As NASA continues to explore the unknown in air and space, it also strives to innovate for the benefit of humanity and inspire the world through discovery.