Stratospheric Ozone and Climate Forcing Sensitivity to Cruise Altitudes for Fleets of Potential Supersonic Transport Aircraft

Abstract

There is renewed interest in the development of supersonic transport commercial and business aircraft due to a rising demand for more intercontinental air travel as a result of population and economic growth and also a desire for shorter flight times. However, emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and water vapor (H 2 O) from the supersonic aircraft can especially have important environmental effects on ozone and climate

Review: The Effects of Supersonic Aviation on Ozone and Climate

“…Several studies identified the stratospheric H 2 O emissions as a significant factor in potential climate effect from SST [4,9,10]. The climate effect of H 2 O is the most important climate component concerning supersonic aircraft, and its importance increases with increasing cruise altitudes [47] (Figure 1).…”

“…Research on the atmospheric impacts of SSTs has been sparse and fragmented over the last two decades, with two notable European programmes: "SCENIC" (Scenario of aircraft emissions and impact studies on chemistry and climate) and "HISAC" (Environmentally friendly high-speed aircraft). More recently, some of the older SST fleet assumptions have been re-examined with up-to-date state-of-the-art climate/chemistry models [10,47], and NASA recently sponsored an analysis of a more up-to-date set of fleet assumptions [11]. Reference [8] also examined the potential effects of a Mach 5 to 8 hypersonic aircraft fleet.…”

“…Similarly, the degree of hemispheric asymmetry between different models varies [9,11]. The magnitude and distribution of the ozone perturbation caused by emissions of supersonic aircraft also depend strongly on the emission altitude [47]. For high-altitude emissions, stratospheric ozone depletion dominates, whereas for loweraltitude emissions, the increase in ozone in the UT/LS dominates.…”

“…For high-altitude emissions, stratospheric ozone depletion dominates, whereas for loweraltitude emissions, the increase in ozone in the UT/LS dominates. One study found an inflection point at about 17 km, where the total column ozone change switches signs [47]. Furthermore, ozone concentrations undergo a seasonal cycle, leading to a larger total ozone column in spring and a smaller total ozone column in fall and winter at high northern latitudes [47,59].…”

“…One study found an inflection point at about 17 km, where the total column ozone change switches signs [47]. Furthermore, ozone concentrations undergo a seasonal cycle, leading to a larger total ozone column in spring and a smaller total ozone column in fall and winter at high northern latitudes [47,59].…”