The targets of EMeRGe flight F#11 on 30.03.2018 were: Japan Pollution + Outflow from Yangtze Conurbation + longer range Biomass Burning + Stratospheric intrusion + Taiwanese pollution

The pollution plumes from Major Pollution Centres and Biomass burning were probed successfully.

After take off HALO flew south to the Philippines airspace and around Manila. The plume of Manila was observed and we shall find out later if we synchronised well enough and caught the PFC release by Ron and Gerry on Tuesday! However we are optimistic.

On the way back to Taiwan higher pollution was observed than predicted form the previous forecast. Then HALO flew some tracks on the west coast of Taiwan. We again hope to have captured the Taipei PFC release. HALO flew above the salt marshes and fish ponds and then looped south of Tainan before landing around 16:30 local.

HALO has flown northwards over Taiwan and then heading up toward Ju Ju Island to probe the photochemically processed, transported and transformed air masses. On the way back to Tainan HALO was flying over the west of Taiwan and over the salt marshes and salt mountain.

HALO landed around 17:20 (local) after a successful flight. The impression of the scientists is that the instrumentation functioned well today and some very interesting air masses were probed.

The HALO EMeRGe flight of 24. March 2018, F#8, has not only been the longest but also one of the best of the campaign. At least up to now.

We have been probing much polluted air masses all over the flight track: in Taiwan both immediately after the take off at 1 UTC and prior landing 8 hours afterwards, as well as over the East China and Yellow Seas.


Clear sky – at least cloud free – most of the time, under smog conditions that we could both see through the window and measure through the inlet of our instruments. We were able to optimise the scientific output by extending the track over the Southwestern coast of Taiwan at the very last minute of the flight and thanks once more to the very professional support by the HALO pilots.

The EMeRGe flight F#7 was performed north of Taiwan and at Taiwan's west coast. HALO was able to measure during the first Taiwanese ProACT3 (Dr. Charles Chou) campaign. This campaign, which complements EMeRGe in Asia, is led by Academia Sinica and the Taiwanese EPA are participating with their measurement network.


A tracer release was made from the world's largest largest coal fired power plant with a set of copters and fixed wing drones. HALO, after shuttle flights in the air coming from mainland China north east of Taiwan, then measured around Taiwan the pollution and the tracers. The latter included passing over the salt marshes and Qigu salt mount.

So a very good day of measurements with all targets being sampled.

The Manila plume was succesfully investigated on 20. March 2018. All the objectives of the flight were completed, the weather was cooperating, the plume of Manila was where it was supposed to be, the tracer release worked perfectly, HALO carried out trouble free all the shuttle levels to catch the tracer, there were no unexpected clouds around, no surprises with flight permission, only minor instrumental issues ... just perfect.

The EMeRGe F#5 started at 00:18 UTC with clear sky and heavy smog conditions towards Taipei at 2000ft and finalised at 8:25 UTC.

During the first shuttle in Japanese airspace we measured elevated BC, CO, NOy and acetone. As in the previous flight, high values of acetone were measured over the Pacific and several plumes related to CO increases.

We repeated the pattern at 8000ft, 3000ft and 2000ft in the Western coast of Tainan. Before landing HALO flew over the Qigi salt mountain and associated salt marshes, which may be interesting for our DOAS colleagues as a local source of BrO, IO and ClO.