MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – NASA Public Affairs will hold a media day in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Monday, April 14, to give reporters a behind-the-scenes view of the largest airborne experiment ever conducted to study the impact of air pollution on the Arctic’s atmospheric chemistry and changing climate.
Managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center’s Earth Science Project Office, the experiment — the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) campaign — will use aircraft and NASA satellites to probe the arctic atmosphere, sampling gaseous and particulate pollution to understand its origin and influences on climate across the region.
Three NASA research aircraft and more than 100 scientists will be based in Fairbanks for three weeks in April to investigate the “arctic haze” of air pollution that forms from sources across the Northern Hemisphere.
During the media day reporters are invited to meet with scientists and see the aircraft and instruments being used in ARCTAS. Representatives from the Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will also be available to discuss two complementary airborne campaigns based in Fairbanks in April.
The media day begins at 10 a.m. AKDT on April 14 at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk Dr. After a briefing with mission scientists, reporters will be given escorted tours of the research aircraft and opportunities for interviews.
Reporters planning to attend the media day should contact Amy Hartley, University of Alaska Fairbanks, in advance by April 11, 2008. For more information about ARCTAS, contact Robin Croft, NASA Ames Research Center, or visit the project Web site:
