NASA, California Scientists Team Up To Study Air PollutionNASA, California Scientists Team Up To Study Air Pollution

NASA and California scientists have launched flights over the state to measure and analyze the air quality and emissions.

NASA announced Thursday that three of its aircraft, the DC-8, the P-3, and ER-2 had flown over the California coast from San Diego to Trinidad Head to study how air pollution affects the Arctic's atmosphere and climate. The flights were part of a campaign with the lengthy title: "Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites." The research division of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is working with NASA on the campaign.

Earlier this week, NASA flew its aircraft from Ames Research Center, through California and over Cold Lake in Alberta, Canada. The DC-8, an airborne laboratory, flew from the Dryden Aircraft Operations Center in Palmdale, Calif. The aircraft gathered samples to pinpoint sources of greenhouse gas emissions and to determine which pollutants blow into California from offshore vessels. The samples also will help measure differences in air mass chemistry between urban and rural areas, NASA said.

The DC-8 flights will continue through next week and they will include low-level trips over Central Valley, the coast, and the Santa Barbara area, where natural methane seeps into the environment. At the same time, Earth observing satellites are passing over the area. NASA said researchers will compare and validate data to improve their predictions of the effects of pollution on California's lower atmosphere.

CARB is trying to curb pollution, smog, and particulate matter in the state. It aims to reduce greenhouse gas by 25% in the next 12 years.

"This collaboration will give us information on how pollution is created, transported, and even destroyed," said Bart Croes, chief of the CARB's Research Division, in Sacramento, Calif. "The use of highly sophisticated technology, data gathered at levels far beyond our normal reach, and collaboration with NASA's very knowledgeable technicians and scientists combine to create a rare opportunity."