Observation of stratospheric ozone depletion associated with Delta II rocket emissions

Ross, M. N.; Toohey, D. W.; Rawlins, W. T.; Richard, E. C.; Kelly, K. K.; Tuck, A. F.; Proffitt, M. H.; Hagen, Donald E.; Hopkins, A. R.; Whitefield, Philip D.; Benbrook, J. R.; Sheldon, W. R.

doi:10.1029/1999gl011159

Cited by 33 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The observations show a trimodal particle size distribution with mode mean diameters near 0.005, 0.1, and 2 µm. Similar aerosol concentrations have been measured in the stratospheric exhaust plume from a Delta II rocket powered by a combination of solid NH 4 ClO 4 /Al and liquid LOx/kerosene propulsion system [3]. Particle number, size, and composition measurements have been performed in the stratospheric exhaust plume from a small Athena II SRM at less than 30-minute plume age [4].…”

Section: Aerosol Observations In Rocket Exhaust Plumesmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Complete ozone loss probably initiated by heterogeneous activation of chlorine species on solid or liquid plume particles or at warmer temperatures by gas phase reactions of the catalytic ClO dimer cycles has been observed in the Delta II rocket plume [3]. In addition, heterogeneous reactions on solid NAT or ice particles in the exhaust plume particles may enhance ozone loss.…”

Section: Aerosol Observations In Rocket Exhaust Plumesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contrail formation in the tropopause region caused by emissions from an Ariane 5 rocket

Voigt¹,

Schumann²,

Graf³

2016

Progress in Propulsion Physics

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Rockets directly inject water vapor and aerosol into the atmosphere, which promotes the formation of ice clouds in ice supersaturated layers of the atmosphere. Enhanced mesospheric cloud occurrence has frequently been detected near 80-kilometer altitude a few days after rocket launches. Here, unique evidence for cirrus formation in the tropopause region caused by ice nucleation in the exhaust plume from an Ariane 5-ECA rocket is presented. Meteorological reanalysis data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts show significant ice supersaturation at the 100-hectopascal level in the American tropical tropopause region on November 26, 2011. Near 17-kilometer altitudes, the temperatures are below the Schmidt Appleman threshold temperature for rocket condensation trail formation on that day. Immediately after the launch from the Ariane 5-ECA at 18:39 UT (universal time) from Kourou, French Guiana, the formation of a rocket contrail is detected in the high resolution visible channel from the SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager) on the METEOSAT-9 satellite. The rocket contrail is transported to the south and its dispersion is followed in SEVIRI data for almost 2 h. The ice crystals predominantly nucleated on aluminum oxide particles emitted by the Ariane 5-ECA solid booster and further grow by uptake of water vapor emitted from the cryogenic main stage and entrained from the ice supersaturated ambient atmosphere. After rocket launches, the formation of rocket contrails can be a frequent phenomenon under ice supersaturated conditions. However, at present launch rates, the global climate impact from rocket contrail cirrus in the tropopause region is small.

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Section: Aerosol Observations In Rocket Exhaust Plumesmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Aerosol Observations In Rocket Exhaust Plumesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrail formation in the tropopause region caused by emissions from an Ariane 5 rocket

Voigt¹,

Schumann²,

Graf³

2016

Progress in Propulsion Physics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Local ozone loss and ozone mini holes have been observed in young rocket exhaust plumes during daytime [4]. Here, the simulations of the impact of rocket emissions on regional and global ozone levels are summarized.…”

Section: Local Regional and Global Stratospheric Ozone Loss Caused mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the long-lived atmospherically relevant smallest mode contained less than 0.1% of the alumina mass, more than 99% of the particle mass was concentrated in the largest mode. Aerosol concentrations of few hundred per cubic centimeter have been measured in the stratospheric exhaust plume of a Delta II rocket powered by a combination of a solid (NH 4 ClO 4 /Al) and a liquid (LOx/kerosene) propulsion system [4]. This plume has been intercepted with the WB57 aircraft six times at plume ages between 12 min and 1 h. High amounts of reactive chlorine in the form of chlorine monoxide (ClO) of up to 45 nmol/mol initially decreased with plume age while ozone loss increased.…”

Section: Detection Of Rocket Exhaust Plumes In the Stratospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of rocket exhaust plumes on atmospheric composition and climate ― an overview

Voigt

Schumann

Graf

et al. 2013

Progress in Propulsion Physics

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Rockets are the only direct anthropogenic emission sources into the upper atmosphere. Gaseous rocket emissions include CO, N 2 , H 2 , H 2 O, and CO 2 , while solid rocket motors (SRM) additionally inject signi¦-cant amounts of aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) particles and gaseous chlorine species into the atmosphere. These emissions strongly perturb local atmospheric trace gas and aerosol distributions. Here, previous aircraft measurements in various rocket exhaust plumes including several large space shuttle launch vehicles are compiled. The observed changes of the lower stratospheric composition in the near ¦eld are summarized. The injection of chlorine species and particles into the stratosphere can lead to ozone loss in rocket exhaust plumes. Local observations are compared with global model simulations of the e¨ects of rocket emissions on stratospheric ozone concentrations. Large uncertainties remain concerning individual ozone loss reaction rates and the impact of small-scale plume e¨ects on global chemistry. Further, remote sensing data from satellite indicate that rocket exhaust plumes regionally increase iron and water vapor concentrations in the mesosphere potentially leading to the formation of mesospheric clouds at 80-to 90-kilometer altitude. These satellite observations are summarized and the rocket emission inventory is compared with other natural and anthropogenic sources to the stratosphere such as volcanism, meteoritic material, and aviation.

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“…Of particular merit is the lack of consumables required during operation, which makes UV absorption very suitable for continuous monitoring and long-endurance flights. A large number of UV O 3 photometers have been developed and reported for airborne measurement of O 3 including those described by Proffitt and McLaughlin (1983), Bognar and Birks (1996), Ross et al (2000), Price et al (2003), Mao et al (2006), Brenninkmeijer et al (2007), and Kalnajs and Avallone (2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A compact, fast UV photometer for measurement of ozone from research aircraft

et al. 2012

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Abstract. In situ measurements of atmospheric ozone (O 3 ) are performed routinely from many research aircraft platforms. The most common technique depends on the strong absorption of ultraviolet (UV) light by ozone. As atmospheric science advances to the widespread use of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), there is an increasing requirement for minimizing instrument space, weight, and power while maintaining instrument accuracy, precision and time response. The design and use of a new, dual-beam, UV photometer instrument for in situ O 3 measurements is described. A polarization optical-isolator configuration is utilized to fold the UV beam inside the absorption cells, yielding a 60-cm absorption length with a 30-cm cell. The instrument has a fast sampling rate (2 Hz at < 200 hPa, 1 Hz at 200-500 hPa, and 0.5 Hz at ≥ 500 hPa), high accuracy (3 % excluding operation in the 300-450 hPa range, where the accuracy may be degraded to about 5 %), and excellent precision (1.1 × 10 10 O 3 molecules cm −3 at 2 Hz, which corresponds to 3.0 ppb at 200 K and 100 hPa, or 0.41 ppb at 273 K and 1013 hPa). The size (36 l), weight (18 kg), and power (50-200 W) make the instrument suitable for many UASs and other airborne platforms. Inlet and exhaust configurations are also described for ambient sampling in the troposphere and lower stratosphere (1000-50 hPa) that control the sample flow rate to maximize time response while minimizing loss of precision due to induced turbulence in the sample cell. In-flight and laboratory intercomparisons with existing O 3 instruments show that measurement accuracy is maintained in flight.

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Observation of stratospheric ozone depletion associated with Delta II rocket emissions

Cited by 33 publications

References 9 publications

Contrail formation in the tropopause region caused by emissions from an Ariane 5 rocket

Contrail formation in the tropopause region caused by emissions from an Ariane 5 rocket

Impact of rocket exhaust plumes on atmospheric composition and climate ― an overview

A compact, fast UV photometer for measurement of ozone from research aircraft

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