Climate

EU Research project MOZAIC*

Through the EU research project MOZAIC (Measurement of ozone, water vapor, carbon monoxide and nitroThrough the research project MOZAIC (Measurement of ozone, water vapor, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides aboard Airbus in-service aircraft) Lufthansa has participated in the long-term observation of the atmosphere since 1993. Scientists from Germany and France work closely together on this project. They developed measuring instruments that have been in continuous operation on two Airbus A340-300s, thus allowing a quasi global observation of the atmosphere at altitudes between zero and 12 kilometers. Sensors on the aircraft’s fuselage collect data on the atmospheric content of ozone, water vapor, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, which then serve as the basis for making global climate models more accurate. More than 32,000 measuring flights have been completed since the beginning of this long-term project. Using the resulting data, scientists have been able to validate and improve global climate models. Observations from MOZAIC have also led to a better understanding of cloud generation – and to more exact weather models and weather forecasts. A total of almost 180 scientific publications have been based on results from MOZAIC, while over 120 research groups worldwide work with the MOZAIC data pool. This has lead to a number of surprising insights. This includes the supersaturation of the upper troposphere with water vapor, which is decisive for understanding the generation of clouds. Other aspects are the often-observed extreme concentrations of ozone precursors (carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides) in the upper troposphere. These are caused by forest fires and thunderstorms as well as by anthropogenic factors.

The latest analysis of MOZAIC data appeared in the January 2010 issue of the renowned scientific magazine “Nature” and demonstrated impressively that the ozone levels above the United States are decisively influenced by precursor substances emitted in the Asian region. This thwarts local efforts in the U.S. to lower ozone concentrations.

A video about the MOZAIC* project can be found here.

Further information from our project partners: mozaic.aero.obs-mip.fr and www.fz-juelich.de

*Measurement of ozone, water vapour, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides aboard Airbus in-service aircraft

EU Research project CARIBIC*

In the context of the EU research project CARIBIC (Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container), Lufthansa has been committed to basic atmospheric research for many years. Participants in this long-term joint project include the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (Max Planck Society), the Institute for Tropospheric Research (Leibniz Society), the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research and the German Aerospace Center (both Helmholtz Association) as well as two further partners in Germany and six in five other European countries. The project’s goal is the investigation of the complex chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere – and thus our weather and climatic events. Unique worldwide, this project based on a measurement container has made use of the Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 “Leverkusen” since December 2004 on intercontinental routes from Frankfurt. Once a month, the aircraft transports a fully-automated measuring laboratory weighing 1.6 tonnes in its cargo hold. Via its air inlet system, the container lab measures data on not only a number of trace elements and greenhouse gases but also the concentration and spatial distribution of aerosols. In addition, the flying observatory takes photographs of clouds by means of an integrated camera. One area of emphasis for research is the comprehension of the cycles of greenhouse gases between their reservoirs – the oceans, land masses and biomass. Every year, enormous quantities of substances are exchanged between these stores. These substance cycles, and in particular the quantification of individual absorption and release processes, continue to pose many questions. The CARIBIC measurements make it possible to add some pieces to the puzzle. For example, researchers were able to quantify the absorption of CO₂ by vegetation during the monsoon period in the southern Asian region at 50 million tonnes of CO₂ per month. Beyond that, they calculated monthly absorption of methane at 1.5 million tonnes and of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) at 70,000 tonnes.

A video about the CARIBIC* project can be found here.

Further information from our project partners: www.caribic-atmospheric.com

*Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container

EU Research project IAGOS*

The project IAGOS is a further development of MOZAIC. The goal of this follow-up project is to create the long-term operating and financial conditions to continue the measuring series successfully begun in the context of MOZAIC over the long term and on a global scale. During a five-year development phase the partners from research and industry developed a new instrument package that is more lightweight, more robust and nearly maintenance-free. Since December 2009, this new measuring technology has been tested aboard a Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, measuring flights started in July 2011.

Lufthansa and its project partners pursue the goal of jointly creating a worldwide measurement infrastructure that would allow the global observation of the Earth’s atmosphere by means of civil aviation. Accordingly, the measurement devices serve to routinely capture atmospheric trace substances and in future aerosols and cloud particles while in flight – around the world and on a broad basis. The data generated by IAGOS are of central importance for climate research and numerical systems of weather forecasting.

Further information from our project partners: www.fz-juelich.de and www.iagos.org

*In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System

AMDAR*

Through the weather-related project AMDAR Lufthansa supports the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the German Weather Service. On all their flights, about 315 Lufthansa aircraft capture air temperatures, wind speeds and wind directions according to specific optimization criteria on behalf of the meteorological services. Since December 2006, some of these aircraft have also measured the atmosphere’s humidity. The more data meteorologists have at their disposal, the more precisely they can forecast weather. These weather observations are available worldwide to all national meteorological services and flow directly into the calculations of weather and severe weather forecasts. Civil aviation also benefits, as accurate knowledge of weather conditions helps to calculate fuel conserving flight routings and enables pilots to fly around zones of bad weather with greater precision.

*Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay