DLH_Balance_2016_ENG - Commitment to climate research

In 2015, climate researchers accomplished a further discovery in which the Lufthansa- supported projects IAGOS and CARIBIC played a significant part. By combining data from these measurements with those from satellite observations, they were able to prove that between 2008 and 2011 the solar radiation in the lower layers of the stratosphere was weakened twice as much as previously assumed in the wake of multiple volcanic eruptions. This shows that the cooling effect of volcanoes had been significantly underestimated in previous climate models. www.iagos.org mentalized commercial aircraft. For instance, researchers used the ozone measurements taken by Lufthansa aircraft to complete those generated by worldwide satellite and ground measurements for this important trace gas and to test the global models for forecasting air quality. In an- other article, scientists examined how high- altitude thunderstorms affect the generation and distribution of nitrogen oxides at high altitudes. The MOZAIC data stretching over a number of years clearly prove that nitro- gen oxides are generated in thunderstorms above the southeast of the USA and then transported across the Atlantic to Europe. All articles are freely accessible on www.tellusb.net Commitment to climate research For more than 20 years, the Lufthansa Group has been intensively involved in research projects which help to observe the state of the Earth’s atmosphere by establishing a worldwide measurement infrastructure – in order to better ­ understand global climate changes. Five years of IAGOS On July 7, 2011, Lufthansa became the first airline worldwide to join forces with research institute Forschungzentrum Jülich to launch innovative long-term research of the atmosphere in the project IAGOS (In- service Aircraft for a Global Observing System). By means of measuring instru- ments that are permanently installed aboard aircraft, the project analyzes the air’s chemical composition. Through the successful precursor program MOZAIC, Lufthansa had already been a central part- ner of research institutes for more than 20 years. The last MOZAIC aircraft was with- drawn from service in fall 2014. At the beginning of 2015, Lufthansa equipped a second aircraft with a measuring probe for the IAGOS project to ensure a seamless transition from MOZAIC to IAGOS. Together with the project CARIBIC, which Lufthansa supports monthly via the Airbus A340-600 “Leverkusen” , three Lufthansa Group air- craft currently fly in the service of climate research. By recording atmospheric data continuously and globally, IAGOS and CARIBIC close important gaps in the knowledge necessary to better understand climate and its forecasts. At the end of 2015, the scientific journal Tellus B published a special issue on the results of the IAGOS and MOZAIC pro- grams. The 16 articles published therein represent the entire scope of the scientific atmospheric investigations based on the data recorded with the support of instru- Dr. Gerd Saueressig Manager Group Environmental Issues Deutsche Lufthansa AG “In 2015, we expanded our involvement in the IAGOS project and equipped a second aircraft with measuring probes. On each flight that these aircraft make, data of atmospheric trace elements are collected routinely and world- wide, which are highly useful for scientific research.” Sustainability Report Balance // Issue 2016 // Lufthansa Group // 61

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