BAe 146 aircraft is helping analyse air pollution from wildfires
A BAE Systems research aircraft is helping scientists analyse air pollution in the northern hemisphere caused by wildfires in Canada, in a bid to improve pollution forecasts.
The BAe 146 Atmospheric Research Aircraft (ARA) is on
a three-week mission to Halifax,
Nova Scotia, Canada
where it is carrying a team of researchers who will use its on-board equipment
to measure gases and particles emitted by wildfires. During the mission the BAe
146 ARA will be flown daily along the eastern coast of Canada chasing
plumes of wildfire pollution
These emissions are transported across the Atlantic
Ocean and may affect air quality in the UK
and Europe. By helping researchers better
understand how the chemicals from these wildfires disperse in the air as they
are transported, this mission will help estimate the role of North American
forest fires on air pollution in Europe and
improve forecasting.
Owned by BAE Systems and converted by BAE Systems
Regional Aircraft into one of the foremost atmospheric research aircraft in the
world, the BAe 146 ARA is a vital tool in the study of weather patterns,
climate change and global warming, flying some 500 science hours a year.
The BAe 146 ARA is operated by Directflight in the UK under
subcontract to BAE Systems while the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric
Measurements (FAAM) manages the scientific tasking on behalf of NERC and the UK
Met Office.
