NASA to Monitor Air Quality over Korea

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States has teamed up with the Korean National Institute of Environmental Research (KNIER) in order to assess air quality at altitude above South Korea.

The collaboration came about in an attempt to better understand how emissions from Korea’s own factories, power plants and passenger vehicles affect the quality of the air above the country, as well as taking into account emissions from nearby China. Though air pollution in China today is not as bad as it was even a few years ago, the country is still one of the biggest emitters of harmful gases in the world and this understandably has a knock-on effect on its neighbouring nations.

The Nine Kilometre High Club

The joint mission was dubbed KORUS-AQ (air quality) and ran for the duration of May. A DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory arrived from NASA headquarters at the tail end of April, equipped with more than 20 different pieces of apparatus. Among other gases, the equipment is designed to pick up ozone, methane and other greenhouse gases (GhGs), as well as particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), carbon dioxide (CO2) and other pollutants.

Meanwhile, a further two aircraft were used for the mission, with one hailing from NASA and the other from KNIER. Korean scientists used equipment aboard both vessels to determine the density of carbon samples and the composition of ozone samples. During the month-long project, the DC-8 flew at altitudes of up to nine kilometres and collected data both on- and off-shore.

“Chemical reactions between gases happen in the air, and that creates new pollutant gases or particulates,” explained Park Jeong-hoo of KNIER to the Korea Times. “Having a deeper understanding about chemical reaction patterns will allow us to make better forecasts.”

Laying the Groundwork for Comprehensive Air Quality Cover

South Korea already enjoys an excellent reputation when it comes to water cleanliness in Asia, but of late its air pollution problems have been worsening. This project with NASA has served to lay the groundwork for an upcoming environmental satellite, due to be launched in 2019.

Once it’s operational, the satellite will relay important data about air pollution over the Korean peninsula. Since such monitoring normally only occurs at ground level, this comprehensive cover should allow the nation to better assess how to deal with the ongoing air quality crisis.

Earlier this year, the inner-city Seoul marathon was plagued by extreme levels of fogginess. Many of the participants were forced to give up as a result, and the Korean government came under fire from some quarters of the media for their inability or unwillingness to take action. Perhaps the collaboration with NASA will go some way to placating its critics.