. >> reporter: the first person to catch our attention is principle investigator, jack dib. >> there's a specially designed inlet where there's a small hole that ex stands through the wall of the airplane. >> reporter: what are you collecting. >> we're collecting any particle that's bigger than 5 microns. >> reporter: what's that? >> we're measuring the ions in those particles, so they tell us about pollution or sea salt and dust. >> >> reporter: and he doesn't like what he's finding the results that you get, does it make you concerned about the future of our planet. >> i'm not hugely optimistic. >> i'm seeing a lot here. >> >> reporter: nasa research scientist measures down to the earth. and it measures gases and gets immediate results. >> so what are you're seeing >> reporter: take a closer look. purple is the lotest intensity, and it gradually increase was green, blue and red. dark red is the highest intensity of the gases >> reporter: so what have we learned about the climate change, is it something that we should be worried about? >> ited started very high. change is unprecedented