The University of Nova Gorica is participating in the measurement campaign of the European Space Agency in Cape Verde
In September 2021, researchers from the University of Nova Gorica, the Haze Instruments d.o.o. company, and Slovenian extreme pilot, Matevž Lenarčič, will participate in the JATAC (Joint Aeolus Tropical Atlantic Campaign) project in Cape Verde, organised by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Other participants include the USA’s NASA, France's CNRS, Germany's DLR, Greece's NOA, and the Cyprus Institute. Using measurements in the air and on the ground, we will study the accuracy of satellite measurements, changes in the climate, and the use of all of these measurements in the Earth’s atmosphere models.
The Slovenian project’s head of research is Prof. Dr. Griša Močnik, head of the Centre for Atmospheric Research at the University of Nova Gorica. Griša Močnik and Matevž Lenarčič will fly over the eastern Atlantic, tracking satellite flights at different altitudes for 3-4 hours, in a radius of 500-600 km around the island of Sao Vicente.
The project aims to study atmospheric conditions and measure the properties of aerosols in the transport of Saharan sand, black carbon, and other particles across the Atlantic, and their impact on the global climate. The instruments will be installed on the following aircraft: DC-8 (NASA), two Falcon 20s (CNRS and DLR) and the Slovenian Advantic - WT10 Research.
In addition to measurements with aircraft, we will also measure from the ground with lidar. All of these measurements will be used to calibrate the lidar on the Aeolus satellite, with which the ESA measures wind speeds across the entire surface of the Earth at various altitudes. The results of the measurements will be published in scientific journals, and serve to validate meteorological and climate models.
Contact
Andreja Leban
Public Relations
T: +386 5 620 58 27
E: andreja.leban@ung.si
