WASHINGTON – NASA will host a media day in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Monday, April 14, to provide reporters with 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.
Three NASA research aircraft and more than 100 scientists will be based out of Fairbanks for three weeks in April to investigate the “arctic haze” of air pollution that forms from sources across the Northern Hemisphere. The experiment — Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) — will use aircraft and NASA satellites to probe the arctic atmosphere, sampling pollution particles and gases to understand their origins and how they influence climate across the region.
The media day begins at 10 a.m. AKDT at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk Dr. After a briefing with mission scientists, reporters will be given tours of the research aircraft and opportunities for interviews. Representatives from the Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also will be available to discuss two complementary airborne campaigns based in Fairbanks in April.
Reporters planning to attend the media day should contact Amy Hartley at 907-474-5823 by April 13.
For more information about ARCTAS, visit:
