In February, two NASA research aircraft, a DC-8 and a C-20, flew over southern Taiwan at low altitudes to collect data on topography, atmospheric circulation, and air pollution samples. The flights were part of the NASA Asia-AQ (Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality) campaign, a collaborative effort between NASA and several Asian countries to study air quality in the region.
One of the flights took the aircraft over Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages in Kaohsiung. Dr. Brenna Biggs, lead of NASA ASP Science Communications, took the opportunity to give a virtual talk to students at the university about the NASA Asia-AQ campaign.
In her talk, Dr. Biggs discussed the causes and effects of air pollution, and how NASA is using research aircraft to study the problem. She also showed photos and videos of the NASA research fleet, including the DC-8, which is the largest flying laboratory in the fleet. The DC-8 is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments that allow scientists to collect real-time data on air quality.
Dr. Biggs also discussed the challenges of studying air pollution, and how the NASA Asia-AQ campaign is helping to improve our understanding of the problem. She answered questions from the students and encouraged them to learn more about air quality and how they can help to reduce it.
The next time the NASA research aircraft will fly over southern Taiwan is on March 13. Dr. Biggs invited the public to look up and watch for the aircraft. You can also track the flight status of the NASA research aircraft on the project website: https://airbornescience.nasa.gov/tracker/
