The National Institute for Environmental Studies (Tsukuba, Ibaragi pref.) and Japan Airlines have teamed up to measure CO2 from up in the air for the first time ever
On November 5 last year, CO2 began to be measured up in the air from a passenger aircraft. The purpose of this measuring is to find out more about the mechanism of global warming. Since 1993 Japan Airlines has been supplying samples taken from the upper atmosphere on its route to Australia, to the Meteorological Institute. On October 20 of last year, having obtained the approval of the Ministry and Land Infrastructure, a test flight to check changes in warming, noise, and vibration was conducted in the vicinity of Narita International Airport.
The equipment for measuring the density of the CO2 was developed by Jamco, headquartered in Tokyo, a producer of aerospace equipment components. The device employs an infrared spectrometer and can measure the CO2 density at intervals of from 10 seconds to 1 minute. The devices are installed in the cargo spaces of a total of 5 aircraft including Boeing 747-400 and 777, with one unit per aircraft. The data are taken from the units at the rate of once every two months and then analyzed.
According to a spokesman from the National Institute for Environmental Studies, ‘If these measurement activities intensify, the devices could be used over a wide range of areas, such as Singapore, the U.S. and the EU.’
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