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Sulfuric acid measurements in the exhaust plume of a jet aircraft in flight: Implications for the sulfuric acid formation efficiency
Author(s) -
Curtius J.,
Arnold F.,
Schulte P.
Publication year - 2002
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 - 10.1029/2001gl013813
Subject(s) - plume , sulfuric acid , aerosol , sulfur , environmental science , sulfur dioxide , jet fuel , atmosphere (unit) , meteorology , panache , atmospheric sciences , environmental chemistry , chemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , geology , inorganic chemistry , physics , organic chemistry
Sulfuric acid concentrations were measured in the exhaust plume of a B737‐300 aircraft in flight. The measurements were made onboard of the German research aircraft Falcon using the Volatile Aerosol Component Analyzer (VACA). The VACA measures total H 2 SO 4 , which is the sum of gaseous H 2 SO 4 and aerosol H 2 SO 4 . Measurements took place at distances of 25–200 m behind the B737 corresponding to plume ages of about 0.1–1 seconds. The fuel sulfur content (FSC) of the fuel burned by the B737 engines was alternatively 2.6 and 56 mg sulfur per kilogram fuel (ppmm). H 2 SO 4 concentrations measured in the plume for the 56 ppmm sulfur case were up to ∼600 pptv. The average concentration of H 2 SO 4 measured in the ambient atmosphere outside the aircraft plume was 88 pptv, the maximum ambient atmospheric H 2 SO 4 was ∼300 pptv. Average efficiencies ε ΔCO2 = 3.3 ± 1.8% and ε ΔT = 2.9 ± 1.6% for fuel sulfur conversion to sulfuric acid were inferred when relating the H 2 SO 4 data to measurements of the plume tracers ΔCO 2 and ΔT.