Exelis (NYSE: XLS) will support NASA research on climate change by providing a modified Multi-Functional Fiber Laser LIDAR under a $3.5 million contract as part of the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America project.
The company said Monday that the research is centered on monitoring how weather systems move gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere and on determining the sources and sinks of those gases.
“This is key because we really don’t know enough about the carbon cycle to take steps to predict and manage its environmental effects, ” said Jeremy Dobler, a senior scientist and program manager at Exelis.
The project includes the integration of the MFLL instrument into a NASA aircraft to perform five flight campaigns to measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by region.
Exelis has partnered with Pennsylvania State University and Langley Research Center on the project as the company aims to bolster its environmental intelligence business.
MFLL works as a remote sensing and active LIDAR tool to measure concentrations of carbon dioxide through conditions such as nighttime and high latitudes, Exelis said.
