Black carbon pollution research - ASIA 2018

The incomplete combustion of fuels containing carbon (such as gasoline, diesel, natural gas, wood and other biomasses) results in the emission of aerosols, small particles which pollute the air and are harmful to people’s health. An important part of these emissions is soot, known by its scientific name: Black Carbon (BC). It is inert and can be transported over great distances. It also highly absorbs sunlight, which is the reason for its name – it has a very black appearance.

BC heats the atmosphere through the absorption of sunlight and is recognized as a very important cause of global warming, second only to CO₂. Although BC measurements can increase the knowledge on these topics, they are scarce at global background locations. The GLWF flights are an opportunity to carry out measurements on such a scale. We modified the aircraft and installed an aerosol inlet on the wing, with tubing carrying the sampled air to the prototype Aethalometer – the instrument for measuring BC we developed for this very occasion.

We have demonstrated during the previous GLWF round-the-world and the North Pole campaigns that an instrumented ultra lightweight aircraft can provide valuable information on BC concentrations, their regional heterogeneity and vertical profiles with a minor payload and for a fraction of the cost associated with large airborne platforms. We trust that the campaigns will initiate a change of the measurement paradigm and a start of measurements campaigns on a really large scale.

Dr. Griša Močnik

Matevž Lenarčič is experienced long distance flier. He has flown for more than 3500+ hours all over the world, mostly with his ultra light airplane and other single engine aircrafts. He holds PPL - private pilot license with IFR - (instrumental flight rules) rating, night qualification, and ULPL - ultralight pilot license.

Matevž Lenarčič has graduated in biology. An alpinist, paraglider, environmentalists, photographer and a pilot, he has climbed all over the world and among others reached the top of 8051m Broad Peak in Himalaya and climbed extreme routes in Patagonia. He is author of 11 books (nature, photography, climbing and flying), some of them awarded and translated in several languages. He is also founder and director of Aerovizija d.o.o., company for aerial photography.

  Worldtrannsiberia 2002: 28 000km over 8 countries incl. Russia
  Around The Only World 2004: 38 000km crossing 23 countries
  Africa - Valley of Life 2005: 17 000km over 13 countries
The Alps - A Bird’s Eye View 2006 - 2009:
60 000km all over the Alps
  GLWF 2012: 91 000km
  GLWF North Pole 2013: 15 900km
  GLWF 2016: 42 172km
GLWF Mediterranean 2017: 17 500km