This Friday, university and federal researchers will provide the media with an inside look at a major field campaign that’s zeroing in on the sources and behavior of wintertime air pollution across the Northeast urban corridor, Ohio River Valley and portions of the Southeast. Results of the research project are expected to help improve air quality forecasts and support informed decision-making.

Scientists and project specialists will be available for interviews, and the specially outfitted NSF/NCAR C-130 Hercules research aircraft will be open for tours (photos and video permitted) at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia where the campaign is based. Media need to contact Michael Finneran in Langley’s Office of Communications in advance for badging at (757) 864-6110 or michael.p.finneran@nasa.gov.

Air pollution during the cold and dark of winter hasn’t been studied in much detail until now, a gap the WINTER15 (Wintertime Investigation of Transport, Emissions, and Reactivity 2015) project aims to remedy. During the six-week project, scientists aboard the NSF/NCAR C-130 will make daylight and night-time flights at a range of altitudes, tracking the sources of key pollutants near urban areas, power plants, oil and gas fields, and agricultural areas. Approximately 75 scientists, engineers, pilots and students are involved in the study.

WINTER15 is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and supported by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The project is led by researchers from the University of Washington, NOAA, University of Colorado, University of California, University of New Hampshire and Georgia Institute of Technology. NASA Langley is providing the base of operations but is not involved in the research, although it conducts similar airborne campaigns.

What: Media Event and tours of aircraft
When: Friday, Feb. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Where: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA (main gate entrance off of Commander Shepard Blvd)
Who: University and NOAA scientists, NCAR aircraft and project managers

Please wear closed-toe shoes for access to the aircraft. Identification will be required at the Langley Gate. Acceptable ID: Driver’s License or Passport and business card indicating your media affiliation or freelance status.

Directions: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/about/directions.html

Background on WINTER15:

http://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/in-brief/13978/cold-facts-air-pollution

NOAA web story:

http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/csd/news/2015/163_0130.html

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this release do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.