In an interview with The New Times, MIT Professor Ron Prinn says the new AGAGE climate observatory in Rwanda will help educate Rwandans interested in atmospheric science.
Solomon Asaba | The New Times
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Centre for Global Change Science are in advanced stages to start a climate observatory centre in Rwanda, next year, with an aim of collecting atmospheric observations from the slopes of Mt. Karisimbi, a volcano located in the northwest of Rwanda. The project is spearheaded by Prof. Ron Prinn, a professor of atmospheric science, department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the university. The New Times Solomon Asaba had an interview with him.
Excerpts.
Whom are you collaborating with to start this observatory and how much has been achieved so far?
The observatory is a partnership between the Government of Rwanda and the MIT Centre for Global Change Science. We already have in place an interim observatory that has been placed on Mt. Mugogo and is operated mainly by Rwandans.
What kind of information will be obtained at the observatory and who will have access to its final site?
The observatory will measure the composition of air coming from East and South Africa as well as the Middle East and India.
The final site for the observatory is the summit of Mt. Karisimbi. When the Cable Car for ecotourism is complete, all scientists will be in position to access this summit.
How will Rwandans benefit from this kind of modern facility?
If the observatory is successful, it will help educate Rwandans interested in atmospheric science. It will join the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE), a global network measuring greenhouse gases and other climate driving agents. Rwandans are already on their way to running the observatory.
Read the full article at the New Times.