Scientists appeal to govt to allow NASA project

“If the government will not approve this project we will lose the chance to learn new things which directly concern us,” Associate Professor Serm Janjai, of Silpakorn University’s Department of Physics, said yesterday.

He spoke at a press conference with three other scientists and climate experts to ask the government to go ahead with the NASA project. Known as the South East Asian Composition Cloud Climate Coupling Regional Study (SEAC4RS), the project was begun in 2010, to study the earth and climate systems related to the source of aerosols in the air which affect weather patterns and can cause climate change.

The letter was issued yesterday after a discussion on the topic of NASA’s weather research mission at U-tapao airbase by scientists who have worked with NASA. Scientists from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lat Krabang ,Chulalongkorn University  and Silpakorn University also participated. 

Serm worked with a NASA operation to study weather conditions in Thailand seven years ago.

“I think this project is very essential for Thai people because it is concerned directly with the atmospheric environment of the country. This affects all people, especially those living in the tropical zone,” he said.

“We are in the zone where aerosol is intensively caused by agricultural waste burning, especially in Thailand and neighbouring countries. This aerosol affects clouds and consequently it will affect rain and rain is vital for this region. The mechanism of interaction between aerosol, clouds and rain is currently unclear,” he said.

“This is a great opportunity for the Thai scientific community to collaborate with scientists with NASA to study our atmosphere and the mechanisms that happen in our atmosphere – so that in the future we understand this and we can adopt measures to prevent or collaborate in this region to protect our environment and atmosphere.”

Asked about concerns about national security because NASA wants to use U-tapao military airbase for its weather-research aircraft in August and September, he thought this kind of scientific campaign was very clear in terms of the equipment and mission. 

The equipment was basic and advanced – mainly devices used to measure solar radiation and detect chemical composition of the atmosphere and to detect satellite data.

“All scientists working in this field are clear that the equipment is used for scientific purposes and that it’s not possible to be used for military purposes. For the flights and security, most of the flights are over the sea and if they are over the land, security authorities can check and tell NASA officials that there are places they are not allowed to fly over. So, for all the security measures, I think Thai authorities have a clear understanding of this issue,” he said.

If the government did not decide to continue collaborating with NASA that would mean the mission would have to be set back till next year and Thailand would lost an opportunity to study the conditions of the monsoon and weather this year, he added.

“We are in the dark in terms of science and the environment. We need a light and we need to find a lamp. Now somebody is giving us a light and [it looks like] we will deny this offer,” he said.

“How can we tell the world that if we deny this environmental and climate project, which is also important to our country as they [NASA] had legally and transparently sought permission from the government to do this,” he said.

Busarasiri Thana, of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Science, said aerosol particles were a very important part of the jigsaw to understand the complex conditions affecting climate and people living in this region and across the world.

This aerosol data would help scientists and weather-related agencies to run a model and accurately predict the weather in future, she said.