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Effects of aircraft on aerosol abundance in the upper troposphere
Author(s) -
Ferry G. V.,
Pueschel R. F.,
Strawa A. W.,
Kondo Y.,
Howard S. D.,
Verma S.,
Mahoney M. J.,
Bui T. P.,
Hannan J. R.,
Fuelberg H. E.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/1999gl900445
Subject(s) - aerosol , troposphere , tropopause , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , altitude (triangle) , stratosphere , air mass (solar energy) , atmosphere (unit) , radiative transfer , meteorology , physics , geometry , mathematics , boundary layer , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
A significant increase in H 2 SO 4 aerosol concentration coincidental with an enhancement in NO was detected above 10 km pressure altitude during a cross‐corridor flight out of Shannon on October 23, 1997. The source of this aerosol is ascribed to commercial aircraft operations in flight corridors above 10 km, because (1) a stable atmosphere prevented vertical air mass exchanges and thus eliminated surface sources, (2) air mass back trajectories documented the absence of remote continental sources, and (3) temperature profiler data showed the tropopause at least one kilometer above flight altitude throughout the flight, thus excluding stratospheric sources. Particle volatility identified (60‐80)% H 2 SO 4 , ≈20% (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 and ≈10% nonvolatile aerosol in the proximity of flight corridors, and (10‐30)% H 2 SO 4 , up to 50% (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , and (40‐60)% nonvolatile aerosols in air that was not affected by aircraft operations below 10 km. The newly formed H 2 SO 4 particles did not measurably affect surface area and volume of the background aerosol due to their small size, hence did not influence radiative transfer directly.