Emission indices of reactive gases and particles were determined from measurements in the exhaust plume of a Concorde aircraft cruising at supersonic speeds in the stratosphere. Values for NO x (sum of NO and NO 2 ) agree well with ground-based estimates. Measurements of NO x and HO x indicate a limited role for nitric acid in the plume. The large number of submicrometer particles measured implies efficient conversion of fuel sulfur to sulfuric acid in the engine or at emission. A new fleet of supersonic aircraft with similar particle emissions would significantly increase stratospheric aerosol surface areas and may increase ozone loss above that expected for NO x emissions alone.

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This paper is devoted to the results concerning NO, NO(2), and HNO(3) obtained during airborne experiments performed in June-July 1973 on Concorde 001. The altitude of flight was about 16 km. Results concerning NO are, within the accuracy of measurement, in agreement with results of a previousspectrometric balloonborne experiment conducted jointly by IASB and ONERA (14 May 1973). Nitric oxide is concentrated in stratospheric layers clearly above the flight altitude. Integrated amount of NO along the optical path is (4 +/- 1.5) x 10(16) mol cm(-2) for a solar elevation varying from +2 degrees above the horizontal plane to -1 degrees . A value of 6 x 10(8) mol cm(-3) may be given as an upper limit for the local concentration at the flight altitude. Thereis no significant difference in the integrated amount observed at sunset and sunrise. Measured value of NO(2) local concentration at 15.5 km is (1.1 +/- 0.2) x 10(9) mol cm(-3), in sunset conditions. This value is not greatly modified between 15 km and 30 km. Measured value of HNO(3). This value increases with altitude between 15 km and 20 km. The local concentration is maximum at 20 km. The measured value is (2 +/- 1) x 10(10) mol cm(-3) at 20 km. It seems that local concentration decreases rapidly above 20 km.

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All of the techniques used to measure stratospheric HCI during the two BIC campaigns involved high resolution infrared spectroscopy.The balloon-borne instruments included five different spectrometers, three operating in the solar absorption mode and two in emission (at distinctly different wavelengths).Ground-based and aircraft correlative measurements were made close to the balloon locations, again by near-infrared spectroscopy.Within this set of results, comparisons between different techniques (absorption vs emission) viewing the same airmass (i.e., on the same gondola) were possible, as were comparisons between the same technique used on different gondolas spaced closely in time and location.The final results yield a mean profile of concentration of HCI between 18 and 40 km altitude; an envelope of !15% centered on this profile encompasses all of the results within one standard deviation of their individual mean values.The absolute accuracy of the final profile is estimated to be no worse than 10%.It is concluded also that the measurement techniques for HCI have reached a level of performance where a precision of 10% to 15% can be confidently expected.