FarmFlux: A New NASA Airborne Mission to Connect Agriculture, Atmospheric Composition, and Ecosystems

FarmFlux is an airborne mission concept to quantitatively connect U.S. agricultural emissions, atmospheric processes, and Earth system impacts. Two aircraft will holistically characterize the magnitude and fate of emissions from key agricultural sectors. A heavy-lift aircraft equipped with in situ gas and particle instrumentation will survey the U.S. Midwest and CA Central and Imperial Valley from March to July. Airborne eddy covariance will provide direct quantification of emissions and deposition for trace gases, and observations of aerosol chemical, physical, and optical properties will elucidate the sources and impacts of PM. Meanwhile, a small aircraft will quantify emissions from animal feeding operations and trace their near-source evolution. Multiscale modeling and synthesis with detailed surface information will illuminate the path from agricultural practices to impacts on air quality, climate, and ecosystems.

FarmFlux is supported by the NASA Earth Venture Suborbital 4 (EVS-4) program. A request for proposals for the science team is anticipated in early 2025, with flights beginning in summer 2026. We welcome feedback on mission design and scope, and we encourage collaboration through complementary ground-based and airborne efforts. A multi-partner, multi-scale approach is needed to fully characterize the connections between agriculture and atmospheric composition. FarmFlux can serve as a nucleus for new research at the agriculture-atmosphere interface.