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CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Stratospheric Ozone and Climate Forcing Sensitivity to Cruise Altitudes for Fleets of Potential Supersonic Transport Aircraft
Journal of geophysical research. Atmospheres, Vol.126(16), p.n/a
08/2021
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/120311
Appears in Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT)
Abstract
The possibility of commercial and business supersonic aircraft that fly in the lower stratosphere is being discussed and specific designs are under consideration. Emissions from supersonic transports have raised crucial environmental concerns regarding ozone and climate. The atmospheric response is sensitive to a range of factors regarding aircraft types, designs, and deployment parameters. This study conducts a series of sensitivity experiments of possible future cruise altitudes to evaluate the potential atmospheric response for a fleet of supersonic aircraft assumed to be fully operational in 2050. Cruise emissions in the sensitivity studies were varied in 2 km bands over the 13–23 km altitude range. We show that the supersonic aircraft can induce both ozone increase and decrease depending on altitude primarily as a result of emissions of nitrogen oxides, and the changes in total column ozone depend on the cruise altitude. The total column ozone change is shown to have a small increase flying from 13 to 17 km, with the ozone impact not very dependent on cruise altitude. As cruise altitude transitions from 17 to 23 km, the ozone impact transitions from production to depletion and the column ozone depletion strongly depends on cruise altitude. We also explore the seasonal ozone loss, changes in ozone, and climate radiative forcing per unit of fuel burn as a function of cruise altitude. The climate impact of water vapor emissions shows a larger effect associated with higher cruise altitude, with more than 1 mW m−2 Tg−1 yr for cruise altitudes above 19 km.
Plain Language Summary
The impact on stratospheric ozone from potential fleets of supersonic aircraft is of interest for evaluation of possible new aircraft designs. To investigate the sensitivity of atmospheric responses of ozone and radiative forcing from supersonic aircraft emission of nitrogen oxides and water vapor at varying altitudes, this study conducts a series of sensitivity studies as a function of cruise altitude using a global atmospheric chemistry model. The effects on total column ozone and radiative forcing show a strong dependence on cruise altitude, especially for flights above 17 km. Impacts on stratospheric ozone can be reduced by either flying at lower cruise altitudes or by the development of low NOx emitting combustors. This study can potentially help facilitate technological development and optimize aircraft operations towards making supersonic travel environmental friendly.
Key Points
Stratospheric ozone response of supersonic aircraft emissions depends on altitudes and the sensitivity was found to increase with altitudes
The ozone impact is small for cruise altitudes below 17 km and the depletion increases sharply as the cruise altitudes increase above 17 km
Low nitrogen oxides (NOx) combustors may be important to consider for potential future supersonic aircraft with cruise altitudes above 17 km
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Details
- Title
- Stratospheric Ozone and Climate Forcing Sensitivity to Cruise Altitudes for Fleets of Potential Supersonic Transport Aircraft
- Creators
- Jun Zhang - University of IllinoisDonald Wuebbles - University of IllinoisDouglas Kinnison - National Center for Atmospheric ResearchSteven L Baughcum - Boeing Company
- Publication Details
- Journal of geophysical research. Atmospheres, Vol.126(16), p.n/a
- Academic Unit
- Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT); Emissions
- Number of pages
- 22
- Grants
- 13-C-AJFE-UI-029, Federal Aviation Administration (United States, Washington) - FAA
- Grant note
- Boeing Company National Science Foundation U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (13‐C‐AJFE‐UI‐029)
- Identifiers
- 99900620471201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article