What are boreal forests and why study fires in these forests?
A. Boreal forests, spanning much of Earth’s northern latitudes, have faced the heat over the last decade amid increases in natural forest fires. In particular, researchers have debated the degree to which these fires contribute to the Arctic’s atmosphere compared to human-caused sources at lower latitudes. Researchers want to better define the contribution of these sources to arctic pollution and the impact on climate. Q. How many NASA aircraft are contributing to ARCTAS? A. Three aircraft with more than 30 instruments will fly during ARCTAS. The P-3B from Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops, Va., carries nine instruments up to 20,000 feet, and the DC-8 from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., carries 22 instruments up to 40,000 feet. These two aircraft will be making flights for ARCTAS from Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada. The B-200 from Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., flies with two instruments to 25,000 feet, and will support ARCTAS from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
