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Dryden assisted in successful Safari 2000 By Beth Hagenauer and Jay LevineAerospace Projects Writer and X-Press Editor Dryden's Airborne Science Directorate assisted NASA, United States and international scientists in August and September with a study of African smog and its role in global change. Dryden's role also included tracking the movement of air pollution in the southern part of the continent. The southern African atmosphere is vulnerable to air pollution due to a persistent high-pressure system. African smog is a mixture of smoke from industry, mining, agricultural burning and other sources. NASA researchers were among more than 100 scientists who conducted extensive and varied field studies as part of the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) conducted for more than a year. Flights and science activities were based in Pietersburg, Republic of South Africa. Dryden Mission Manager Walter Klein explained the mission. "Most of the controlled burns or fires are lit by SAFARI 2000 scientists in the field, while a Dryden pilot is flying above measuring the effects of the burning in coordination with overflights of NASA's Terra satellite. The results are immediate and downloaded from our eight instruments on board ER-2 No. 809," Klein said.  "The pollution is significant. The sub-Saharan countries have little or no control on burnings and at times they are literally burning 1 million acres daily (nearly twice the square miles of Texas). This time of year they are at the end of the dry season and heading into summer. The fires put numerous particles and gases in the air. The weather patterns during spring are associated with high-pressure systems and not much wind, allowing the smoke and pollution to react with clouds and circulate over the continent in a huge cyclonic direction. The smoke does not readily blow off the southern African continent," he said.The uncontrolled burns are set by farmers and ranchers, mostly conducted to clear African savannas to better grow grass to feed cattle. Burning the tall grasses has been a way of life for centuries here, Klein said. "This was NASA's first involvement with African countries on this scale. We helped build the effort with the scientific communities to study the phenomenon caused by the fires," he said.  The SAFARI effort included analysis of terrestrial ecology and land processes; land cover and land use change; atmospheric aerosols and trace gases; clouds and radiation; hydrology; and computer modeling.Researchers studied these elements by using ground and airborne measurements complemented by remote sensing observations from older satellites as well as a new generation of Earth observation satellites. They included sensors on NASA's Terra, Landsat 7 and SEAWIFS satellites as well as the European ENVISAT and POLDER II spacecraft. "We had a lot of challenges to go to specific areas from east to west over the entire South African continent on missions that ranged from six to eight hours. It was challenging landing because of the adverse and unpredictable weather changes," said Dryden Mission Manager Bob Jones.  Dryden coordinated with the science community about ER-2 capabilities. Timing was critical because of satellites. We flew under satellites and the main challenge was to get there on time and collect the information the scientists were seeking on a clear day. If there were clouds covering one area, we moved on. We were very efficient in gathering the science information, Jones said."There were spectators all the time (to see the ER-2). Kids would come from three to four hours away to see the ER-2s," Jones said. The Dryden mission manager also noted that the U.S. Air Force Reserve assisted in moving vital equipment. C-141s and KC-135s provided airlift support from March Air Reserve Base, Riverside, Calif., McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Wash., and McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Kan. The study region for SAFARI 2000 included Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Scientists from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany collaborated in the science initiative. NASA's Earth Observing System project was the primary sponsor of U.S. participation in SAFARI 2000. John Bluck of Ames Research Center's Public Affairs Office in Mountain View, Calif., also contributed to this report. Click here to view more pictures from Safari 2000 |
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