3 August 2026
On 3 August, Forschungszentrum Jülich is launching a two-week Zeppelin measurement campaign over North Rhine-Westphalia. From the airship hangar at Essen/Mülheim Airport, a Zeppelin NT will be used as an airborne research platform for carrying out high-precision atmospheric measurements. The aim is to test new measurement techniques while also seeking answers to pressing questions related to climate and environmental protection - from air quality in cities to the health of our forests.
"The Zeppelin offers us possibilities that other research platforms can only provide to a limited extent," says Jun.-Prof. Dr. Eva Pfannerstill from the Institute of Climate and Energy Systems - Troposphere (ICE-3) at Forschungszentrum Jülich. "Thanks to its slow and stable flight, we can carry out high-precision measurements at low altitudes and target specific areas for observation."
A research lab in the air
During the campaign, the Zeppelin will be equipped with state-of-the-art measuring technology and will fly over various regions of North Rhine-Westphalia. The researchers will measure trace gases - gases that occur in the atmosphere in very low concentrations but provide important insights into biological and chemical processes. These data can be used, for example, to determine how substances are exchanged between forests, cities, and the atmosphere.
At the same time, a newly developed wind measurement system will be tested under real-world conditions. To this end, the Zeppelin's measurements will be compared with reference measurements from measurement towers. Successful validation - in other words, demonstrating that a measurement technique works reliably and accurately - provides the basis for future measurement campaigns and opens up new possibilities for atmospheric research.
A better understanding of air quality and forests
The measurement campaign addresses several research questions that are of major significance to environmental and climate research. Together, the projects will contribute to a better understanding of the links between air quality, forest health, and climate.
Both projects are led by scientists who are establishing their own research groups through early-career programmes, enabling them to take on scientific responsibility at an early stage in their careers.
Through her Helmholtz Investigator Group, Jun.-Prof. Dr. Eva Pfannerstill is investigating how environmental stress alters the interaction between forests and the atmosphere. Forests emit large quantities of trace gases - familiar to many people, for example, as the scent of pine. In the atmosphere, these gases can react to form tiny particles that influence the climate and air quality. By carrying out measurements across forest areas damaged to varying degrees - for example, by pests - the researchers aim to gain a better understanding of how these processes will change as a result of climate change. The results will help to further improve predictions of atmospheric chemistry and climate.
Dr. Georgios Gkatzelis (also from ICE-3) is focusing on an understudied area of air pollution. As part of his ERC Starting Grant, he and his research group are investigating urban emissions that do not originate from transport or industry, but are caused, for example, by household chemicals. Such sources have so far not been adequately accounted for, yet they can have a significant impact on air quality. The measurements are intended to help improve our understanding of the composition of urban air and further refine air quality models - an important basis for effective measures to protect the environment and public health.
"In order to develop effective measures for clean air, we first need to understand where emissions come from and how they behave in the atmosphere," says Gkatzelis.
Interdisciplinary research for the environment and climate
The Zeppelin measurement campaign brings together expertise from several institutes at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The Institute of Climate and Energy Systems (ICE-3) investigates atmospheric processes using gas measurements. The Institute of Bio- and Geosciences provides an instrument for measuring plant photosynthetic activity (Plant Sciences, IBG-2) as well as a ground-based monitoring network for observing forest health (Agrosphere, IBG-3). The Institute of Technology and Engineering (ITE) develops and builds the measurement systems so that they can be deployed on board the Zeppelin. Together, the participating institutes combine their expertise in atmospheric research, plant research, measuring technology, and engineering to investigate complex environmental processes from the air and on the ground.
The Zeppelin measurement campaign draws on the expertise of Forschungszentrum Jülich and partners from science and aviation. Scientific partners include the University of Cologne, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Goethe University Frankfurt, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the University of Tübingen, and universities in Wageningen and Utrecht in the Netherlands. Zeppelin NT Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co. KG is supporting the campaign with its expertise in the use of the Zeppelin NT as a research platform. Together, the partners are laying the foundations for innovative atmospheric measurements and new insights into environmental processes.
