The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Wednesday said the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is flying a DC-8 aircraft at low-altitude over urban Manila to study air quality in the Philippines and other Asian nations.
NASA said at least four more flights are targeted to happen until February 14th and gave assurance that all flyovers are conducted at a safe altitude without harm to public, wildlife, or infrastructure.
But NASA said that since jet aircraft are loud, those with sensitivity to loud noises should be aware of the flyover window which can be accessed through airbornescience.nasa.gov/tracker/#!/status/list
Earlier, the DENR said the Philippines is part of a global collaboration with NASA that will study and address air quality issues in Asia, help improve air quality models, provide accurate forecasts and develop effective policies ensuring better air quality.
The DENR said the partnership, called Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality, involve experts from the region such as South Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency as well as the Philippine Space Agency, the Manila Observatory, Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines.
DENR Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said NASA will conduct scientific research flights specifically designed to study the atmosphere of Metro Manila and its surrounding regions, with engineers and air quality specialists of the Environmental Management Bureau boarding the flights and learning from the NASA scientists on board.
“This collaboration with NASA and other respected partners will lead to significant advances in our understanding of air pollution and our ability to tackle this pressing issue… The data gathered from the research flights will be used in our programs to mitigate air quality issues that affect public health and address climate change,” Loyzaga said.
The NASA mission will use advanced satellite technology, ground-based observations and airborne missions to gain a better understanding of the air quality problems specific to Metro Manila.
