Worldwide atmospheric measurements with research aircraft HALO

Dr. Andreas Minikin (DLR) und Dr. Christoph Gerbig (MPI-BGC) bei der Arbeit im Forschungsflieger HALO (Bildautor: Dr. Andreas Fix, DLR)
Christoph Gerbig, group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, participates in HALO with the development of innovative and high-precision instrumentation for airborne measurements of the two most significant greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide. The new technology has to fulfill special requiremements according to the particular conditions on board relating to vibration, weight, and safety. This spring the CoMet flight campaign (Carbon dioxide and methane mission for HALO) will observe the distribution of atmospheric trace gases over Europe. The collected data will be interpreted with high-resolution transport modelling to better understand the gas exchange between the atmosphere and the land surface.
The research aircraft HALO is supported by a joint initiative of several German environmental and climate research institutions. It has been realized by the German Federal Ministeries, the Helmholtz Association, and the Max Planck Society. Maintenance is assured by the support of the German research association DFG, the Max Planck Society, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, German Research Centre for Geosciences, and the the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research. DLR owns and manages the plane.
Contact
Dr. habil. Christoph Gerbig
Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745 JENA, Germany
Phone.: +49 (36 41) 57 6373
E-mail: christoph.gerbig@bgc-jena.mpg.de