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To investigate the mechanism of atmospheric variations connected with global warming, the JAL Group has since 1993 conducted a tropospheric-observation project. In this, we collect samples from the atmosphere on scheduled international routes. We originally installed dedicated monitoring equipment on two aircraft flying between Japan and Australia, collecting samples from the atmosphere at an altitude of around 10,000 meters approximately twice a month. Those samples were brought back to Japan and presented to the Meteorological Research Institute of the Japan Meteorological Agency for analysis of the concentration of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide and methane.
In 2003, the JAL Foundation and National Institute for Environmental Studies developed continuous CO2-measuring equipment (CME), which has now been installed on five aircraft and is monitoring CO2 concentrations on routes around the globe.
Please see the  JAL Foundation website for more information. |
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Continuous CO2-measuring equipment |
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There are various causes of global warming, but more than half are related to the impact of carbon dioxide. It’s believed that around half the CO2 produced from the burning of fossil fuels has found its way into the atmosphere. But we don’t know precisely where the rest has gone. Part has been absorbed by the oceans and part has been absorbed by terrestrial plants. Further, it’s not certain whether CO2 will continue to be absorbed in the same manner in the future. That’s why we’re using aircraft to help us understand where and how CO2 is being absorbed.
Monitoring was carried out at various terrestrial locations before JAL began tropospheric sampling, but the number of sites was insufficient and there was a lack of aerial data. If we can increase the amount of data gathered at various locations by aircraft, we’ll be able to develop a more detailed concept about CO2 absorption rates around the globe. Once we’ve accumulated more data, it’s my hope that we’ll be in a position to make a significant contribution to CO2 research.
Toshinobu Machida
Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies |
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Volunteer Tree Planting in Hokkaido |
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Some 160 JAL Group employees from Hokkaido and their families participated in a project called Seven-Eleven Midorino Kikin as volunteer tree planters. Midorino Kikin is a fund designed to restore forest areas around Lake Shikotsu in southwestern Hokkaido after they were uprooted by a typhoon in 2004. The volunteers planted 1,080 spruce and fir saplings on the 1-ha site for which the JAL Group was responsible, and we look forward to the day when these trees will once again become an integral part of the local ecosystem. |
Siberian Wildfire Reporting |
Forests absorb CO2 emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels, and many believe this absorption helps to mitigate global warming. The Siberian taiga is the world’s largest area of forest, but it has recently been releasing large amounts of CO2 owing to the outbreak of numerous fires. This problem is exacerbated by the thawing of the region’s permafrost, which has released into the atmosphere large amounts of methane — a greenhouse gas with
21 times the global-warming impact of CO2.
In an effort to keep the damage to the Siberian taiga to an absolute minimum, Hokkaido University, the University of Alaska and the Russian Academy of Sciences have collaborated on a project to detect and help prevent the spread of wildfires. JAL is also cooperating with these efforts. JAL flight crew on European routes over Siberia report any wildfires they observe. Fiscal 2006 was the fourth year that JAL flight crew have been involved in these activities, and the result was the filing of 138 fire reports — the most to date. |
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| Civil-Aviation Monitoring |
Over the course of a year when a large number of wildfires break out in Siberia, some 200,000 km2 — a land area equivalent to more than half the size of Japan — can be lost to fire. In addition to the obvious burning of trees, there is also the burning of organic matter in and directly above the soil. The amount of CO2 emitted by the burning of this kind of organic matter is in fact five times higher than that released by the burning trees.
To prevent the spread of wildfires, it’s necessary to contain the burning area, but the Siberian taiga comprises a land area 20 times the size of Japan with largely undeveloped road systems. This makes it near impossible for land-based searches to locate the source of fires.
The most effective method of containing wildfires is to use satellites for detection, but false identification does occur on occasion and it’s possible for satellites to miss instances of fire outbreaks. Aircraft monitoring is extremely useful in increasing the precision of our data gathering. From an altitude of 10,000 meters, the flight crew can survey a broad expanse of territory with the naked eye. By gaining the cooperation of aircraft on scheduled flights, there’s the benefit of obtaining large amounts of data from specific routes over an extended period of time.
Masami Fukuda
Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University |
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Preventing Desertification in Inner Mongolia |
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In June 2006, the JAL Group launched the JAL Sky Eco China initiative in support of the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (OISCA) International, which is running a project to counter desertification in Inner Mongolia. This project conducts research into afforestation techniques and is looking to create a green belt to prevent desertification and the damage caused by clouds of yellow sand blown out from this area. As part of JAL Sky Eco China efforts, JAL Mileage Bank members worldwide were able to participate in the JAL Miles for Eco fund-raising program in June and July 2006. |
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