‘Black Carbon’ makes stop in Florence

July 12, 2022 — Guillermo Casamayu and Tinti Escobar are concerned about climate change. They also like an adventure. What better way to combine those two passions then outfitting an airplane with a traveling lab and flying from their home in Argentina all the way to Alaska, studying the effects humans are having on the temperature of our planet?

The two friends will travel almost 25,000 miles over 22 countries from Ushuahia, Argentina, to Point Barrow, Alaska, making stops along the way to take samples.

On July 11, Casamayu and Escobar made a stop in Florence and spent the day enjoying the sights and sounds of the central Oregon coast.

Their plane, the “Black Carbon,” is equipped with an inlet on the wing, with tubing to carry the sampled air to the latest model of Aethalometer, that will provide accurate data in real-time about black carbon concentration.

According to Flying Patagonia, the pair’s website, an instrumented lightweight aircraft can provide valuable information on black carbon concentrations.

“Patagonia Alaska is a non-profit organization,” Casamayu and Escobar said. “The mission is to give wings for science to combat climate change. The objectives are to promote environmental care, power up science and experimental aviation. Additionally, it is a symbol to inspire following dreams and thinking positive.”

They hope this campaign will initiate a change of the measurement paradigm so more people get involved in tracking carbon.

For more information on the Black Carbon’s journey, visit www.flyingpatagonia.com/ or follow Casamayu and Escobar’s Instagram, www.instagram.com/patagoniaalaska/.