Christchurch is cementing its role as a global hub for Antarctic and climate research with the arrival of the German HALO aircraft at GCH Aviation.

The High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft Observatory is part of a major international project studying how aerosols and clouds interact to shape Earth’s atmosphere.

Scientists are using Christchurch’s unique location near the Southern Ocean to study clean air systems as well as pollution drifting across from Australia.

The aircraft’s advanced instruments measure particles, gases, and cloud properties in real time, giving researchers an unprecedented look at how the atmosphere behaves.

The HALO team says Christchurch’s science community and Antarctic connections make it the perfect base for research that simply cannot be done anywhere else in the world.