Global stratospheric effects of the alumina emissions by solid‐fueled rocket motors

Danilin, M. Y.; Shia, R.; Ko, Malcolm K. W.; Weisenstein, Debra K.; Sze, Nien Dak; Lamb, John J.; Smith, Tyrrel W.; Lohn, Peter D.; Prather, Michael J.

doi:10.1029/2001jd900022

Cited by 32 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…We examine diamond, but choose alumina as the primary example because there is a broad basis to examine alumina's potential environmental impacts. Unlike many other solid particles proposed for SRM, there is prior work examining alumina's impacts on stratospheric chemistry (Danilin et al, 2001;Jackman et al, 1998;Ross and Sheaffer, 2014), work that was produced from NASAfunded studies starting in the late 1970's motivated by concerns about the ozone impact of space shuttle launches (alumina is a major component of the shuttle's solid rocket exhaust plume). Moreover, alumina is a common industrial material with a high index of refraction for which there is substantial industrial experience with the production of nanoparticles (Hinklin et al, 2004;Tsuzuki and McCormick, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar geoengineering using solid aerosol in the stratosphere

2015

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Abstract. Solid aerosol particles have long been proposed as an alternative to sulfate aerosols for solar geoengineering. Any solid aerosol introduced into the stratosphere would be subject to coagulation with itself, producing fractal aggregates, and with the natural sulfate aerosol, producing liquidcoated solids. Solid aerosols that are coated with sulfate and/or have formed aggregates may have very different scattering properties and chemical behavior than uncoated nonaggregated monomers do. We use a two-dimensional (2-D) chemistry-transport-aerosol model to capture the dynamics of interacting solid and liquid aerosols in the stratosphere. As an example, we apply the model to the possible use of alumina and diamond particles for solar geoengineering. For 240 nm radius alumina particles, for example, an injection rate of 4 Tg yr −1 produces a global-average shortwave radiative forcing of −1.2 W m −2 and minimal self-coagulation of alumina although almost all alumina outside the tropics is coated with sulfate. For the same radiative forcing, these solid aerosols can produce less ozone loss, less stratospheric heating, and less forward scattering than sulfate aerosols do. Our results suggest that appropriately sized alumina, diamond or similar high-index particles may have less severe technology-specific risks than sulfate aerosols do. These results, particularly the ozone response, are subject to large uncertainties due to the limited data on the rate constants of reactions on the dry surfaces.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar geoengineering using solid aerosol in the stratosphere

2015

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“…Other minor constituents of stratospheric aerosol include upper tropospheric material such as nitrate, ammonia, organics, minerals and metals (e.g. Talbot et al, 1998;Murphy et al, 1998), or meteoric material (Murphy et al, 2007;Renard et al, 2008), aircraft and rocket exaust (Kjellstrom et al, 1999;Danilin et al, 2001;Jackman et al, 1996). A comprehensive review of the measurements, the importance, and the life cycle of local and global stratospheric aerosol can be found in Deshler (2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal estimation retrieval of aerosol microphysical properties from SAGE~II satellite observations in the volcanically unperturbed lower stratosphere

et al. 2010

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Abstract. Stratospheric aerosol particles under non-volcanic conditions are typically smaller than 0.1 µm. Due to fundamental limitations of the scattering theory in the Rayleigh limit, these tiny particles are hard to measure by satellite instruments. As a consequence, current estimates of global aerosol properties retrieved from spectral aerosol extinction measurements tend to be strongly biased. Aerosol surface area densities, for instance, are observed to be about 40% smaller than those derived from correlative in situ measurements . An accurate knowledge of the global distribution of aerosol properties is, however, essential to better understand and quantify the role they play in atmospheric chemistry, dynamics, radiation and climate.To address this need a new retrieval algorithm was developed, which employs a nonlinear Optimal Estimation (OE) method to iteratively solve for the monomodal size distribution parameters which are statistically most consistent with both the satellite-measured multi-wavelength aerosol extinction data and a priori information. By thus combining spectral extinction measurements (at visible to near infrared wavelengths) with prior knowledge of aerosol properties at background level, even the smallest particles are taken into account which are practically invisible to optical remote sensing instruments.The performance of the OE retrieval algorithm was assessed based on synthetic spectral extinction data generated from both monomodal and small-mode-dominant bimodal sulphuric acid aerosol size distributions. For monomodal background aerosol, the new algorithm was shown to fairly Correspondence to: D. Wurl (daniela wurl@yahoo.de) accurately retrieve the particle sizes and associated integrated properties (surface area and volume densities), even in the presence of large extinction uncertainty. The associated retrieved uncertainties are a good estimate of the true errors. In the case of bimodal background aerosol, where the retrieved (monomodal) size distributions naturally differ from the correct bimodal values, the associated surface area (A) and volume densities (V ) are, nevertheless, fairly accurately retrieved, except at values larger than 1.0 µm 2 cm −3 (A) and 0.05 µm 3 cm −3 (V ), where they tend to underestimate the true bimodal values. Due to the limited information content in the SAGE II spectral extinction measurements this kind of forward model error cannot be avoided here. Nevertheless, the retrieved uncertainties are a good estimate of the true errors in the retrieved integrated properties, except where the surface area density exceeds the 1.0 µm 2 cm −3 threshold.When applied to near-global SAGE II satellite extinction measured in 1999 the retrieved OE surface area and volume densities are observed to be larger by, respectively, 20-50% and 10-40% compared to those estimates obtained by the SAGE II operational retrieval algorithm. An examination of the OE algorithm biases with in situ data indicates that the new OE aerosol property estimates tend to be more realistic tha...

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“…instniments. It is very important to know the fraction of alumina mass in submicron range [Danilin et al, 2001b], since these small particles have a long residence time in the stratosphere and are available longer for background chlorine activation via (Rl) on their surface, thus affecting ozone. Assuming that Space Shuttle and Titan-IV rockets have the same size distribution of alumina particles as Athena-2 and applying results from the global model [Danilin et al, 2001b, Table 2], the ozone depletion potential (ODP) of alumina emitted by these rockets could be as large as 0.1 for 7 = 0.02.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, the heterogeneous reaction (Rl) on alumina particles: (Rl) CIONO2 + HCl ^-* CI2 + HNOj with the Inaction probability of 7 = 0.02 does not play an important role in local ozone depletion [Danilin et al, 2001a]. However, it becomes important on the global scale by converting emitted and, more importantly, background HCl into short-lived CI2 resulting in ozone depletion that would correspond to an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of alumina particles larger than 0.2 depending on the locarion of emissions, size distribution of alumina particles, and the value of (Rl) reaction probability [Danilin et al, 2001b]. Since the (Rl) rate is quite different for pure and covered by H2O ] alumina, we try to quantify the uptake of H2O and HNO3 by rocket plume alumina particles using relevant measurements obtained during the Atmospheric Chemistry of Combustion Emissions Near the Tropopause (ACCENT) campaign.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%