THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has assigned five engineers and air quality specialists to join National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) who will study the atmosphere in Metro Manila and its surrounding regions from space to the surface of the earth from Feb. 11 to 15.

DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Loyzaga said that the team of young and air quality specialists from the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) will join the flights to learn and observe to build technical capacity and expertise.

The Philippine leg of the airborne field campaign is part of the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ), a partnership that brings together experts from NASA of the United States, the DENR, and in collaboration with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), Manila Observatory, Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines.

Leading the team is Engr. Chadbert Nikko Aquino, 29, an electronics engineering graduate who specializes as an Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Specialist.

Joining Aquino in the team are Engr. Paul Vallar, 29, who has a background in chemical engineering and expertise in stationary source and ambient air quality monitoring, and Engr. Brix Faustino, 30, who holds a degree in Applied Physics with a specialization in instrumentation and serves as another proficient ambient air quality monitoring specialist within the team.

Adding to their expertise is Engr. Billy William Franco, 39, an Electronics and Communications Engineering graduate working as an Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Specialist at the DENR-EMB Region 3 office.

Rounding out the team is Engr. Zeus Aragones, 34, also an Electronics and Communications Engineering graduate, who serves as another Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Specialist at the DENR-EMB National Capital Region office.

Loyzaga said the team will be joining the lead scientists from the United States, which will be led by Dr. Barry Lefer, NASA’s Tropospheric Composition Program Scientist; Dr. James Crawford, ASIA-AQ Lead Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center; and Dr. Louisa Emmons, ASIA-AQ Forecasting Team Lead at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

They will be collaborating with Atmospheric Scientists from the Manila Observatory’s Air Quality Dynamics Laboratory composed of Dr. James Bernard B. Simpas, Dr. Maria Obiminda L. Cambaliza and Dr. Melliza T. Cruz.

Within the week, the team will go on four research flights aboard two aircraft employed by ASIA-AQ, the NASA G-III and NASA DC-8, which are both based in Clark, Pampanga.

Loyzaga earlier stated that the collaboration with NASA “will help improve air quality models, provide accurate forecasts, and develop effective policies to ensure better air quality in the future.”

The campaign will also serve as a platform for the Philippines to understand its local air quality issues, improve its interpretation of satellite observations, and develop better air quality models.

Loyzaga underscores the critical role of strengthening partnerships with space agencies such as NASA and PhilSA to use satellite imagery and other space science and technology applications to support the country’s development of strategies for science-based, risk-informed, ethical and equitable stewardship of the environment.