G - I
GTE/TRACE-P
TRACE-P is part of a long series of GTE aircraft missions aimed at better understanding of global tropospheric chemistry [McNeal et al., 1998]. Over the past two decades, GTE has conducted missions in several remote regions of the world (Amazonia, the Arctic, the tropical Atlantic, the Pacific) to characterize the natural processes determining the composition of the global troposphere and to assess the degree of human perturbation. The rapid industrialization now taking place in Asia is of compelling interest. Energy use in eastern Asia has increased by 5% yr-1 over the past decade and this rate of increase is expected to continue for the next two decades [U.S. Dept. of Energy, 1997]. Combustion of fossil fuels is the main source of energy. Emission of NOx in eastern Asia is expected to increase almost 5-fold from 1990 to 2020 [van Aardenne et al., 1999]. There is a unique opportunity to observe the time-dependent atmospheric impact of a major industrial revolution. Long-term observations of from ground sites and satellites can provide continuous monitoring of the temporal trend of atmospheric composition but are limited in terms of spatial coverage (ground sites) or the suite of species measurable (satellites). Aircraft missions can complement surface and satellite observations by providing a detailed investigation of the dynamical and chemical processes affecting atmospheric composition over broad geographical regions. . Summary provided by http://www-gte.larc.nasa.gov/trace/tracep.html