By Karmactive Team
A groundbreaking agreement was announced on July 23 at the White House Super Pollutants Summit to equip a Boeing 737 with sophisticated instruments for measuring greenhouse gases during domestic flights.
Photo Credits: NOAA
This partnership between NOAA and United Airlines aims to improve the monitoring of CO2, methane, and other pollutants, significantly enhancing weather forecast accuracy in the US.
Photo Credits: Patrick T. Fallon
The project is designed as a test for a potential larger network of commercial aircraft equipped with instruments to provide continual monitoring above large US metropolitan regions.
Photo Credits: Simple Flying
NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory already operates a network of 60 sampling sites worldwide and collaborates with private pilots to collect airborne samples during 14 regular flight routes in the US.
These collected samples are crucial for scientists to accurately track the global increase in greenhouse gases, contributing to more precise climate data.
Dr. Sarah Kapnick of NOAA highlighted this collaboration as a major advancement in US efforts to monitor and mitigate greenhouse emissions.
Photo Source: Military & Aerospace Electronics
Traditional atmospheric research missions are costly and limited in scope, but installing instruments on commercial aircraft will vastly increase the number and distribution of collected samples.
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Colm Sweeney of NOAA's GML noted that this initiative will collect data over multiple cities and seasons, enhancing sub-regional emission measurements at a fraction of the cost.
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Beyond greenhouse gas monitoring, the partnership aims to reduce contrail formation, potentially leading to clearer skies and more accurate weather predictions.
Photo Source: NOAA Technology Partnership Office