0000000000105971
AUTHOR
Tina Jurkat
Biofuel blending reduces particle emissions from aircraft engines at cruise conditions.
Aviation-related aerosol emissions contribute to the formation of contrail cirrus clouds that can alter upper tropospheric radiation and water budgets, and therefore climate1. The magnitude of air-traffic-related aerosol–cloud interactions and the ways in which these interactions might change in the future remain uncertain. Modelling studies of the present and future effects of aviation on climate require detailed information about the number of aerosol particles emitted per kilogram of fuel burned and the microphysical properties of those aerosols that are relevant for cloud formation. However, previous observational data at cruise altitudes are sparse for engines burning conventional fuel…
Thermodynamic correction of particle concentrations measured by underwing probes on fast-flying aircraft
Particle concentration measurements with underwing probes on aircraft are impacted by air compression upstream of the instrument body as a function of flight velocity. In particular, for fast-flying aircraft the necessity arises to account for compression of the air sample volume. Hence, a correction procedure is needed to invert measured particle number concentrations to ambient conditions that is commonly applicable to different instruments to gain comparable results. In the compression region where the detection of particles occurs (i.e. under factual measurement conditions), pressure and temperature of the air sample are increased compared to ambient (undisturbed) conditions in certain …
Evolution of CO2, SO2, HCl, and HNO3in the volcanic plumes from Etna
The volcanic plumes from degassing Etna (Italy) were extensively probed with instruments onboard the Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt research aircraft Falcon during the contrail, volcano, and cirrus experiment CONCERT on 29/30 September 2011. Up to 10.4 ppmv SO2 and 0.3 ppmv HCl were detected with the atmospheric chemical ionization mass spectrometer AIMS at 3.1 km altitude and 20 km distance to the summit. HNO3 is the dominant reactive nitrogen component in the plumes. Linking aircraft and ground-based observations by Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory dispersion modeling, we identify two crater plumes with different compositions primarily injected by the Boc…
Trace gas composition in the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone: a case study based on aircraft observations and model simulations
We present in situ measurements of the trace gas composition of the upper tropospheric (UT) Asian summer monsoon anticyclone (ASMA) performed with the High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO) in the frame of the Earth System Model Validation (ESMVal) campaign. Air masses with enhanced O3 mixing ratios were encountered after entering the ASMA at its southern edge at about 150 hPa on 18 September 2012. This is in contrast to the presumption that the anticyclone's interior is dominated by recently uplifted air with low O3 in the monsoon season. We also observed enhanced CO and HCl in the ASMA, which are tracers for boundary layer pollution and tropopause layer (TL) air or stratosp…
The ACRIDICON-CHUVA campaign: Studying tropical deep convective clouds and precipitation over Amazonia using the new German research aircraft HALO
Abstract Between 1 September and 4 October 2014, a combined airborne and ground-based measurement campaign was conducted to study tropical deep convective clouds over the Brazilian Amazon rain forest. The new German research aircraft, High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO), a modified Gulfstream G550, and extensive ground-based instrumentation were deployed in and near Manaus (State of Amazonas). The campaign was part of the German–Brazilian Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Radiation Interactions and Dynamics of Convective Cloud Systems–Cloud Processes of the Main Precipitation Systems in Brazil: A Contribution to Cloud Resolving Modeling and to the GPM (Global Precipitatio…
Aerosol concentrations determine the height of warm rain and ice initiation in convective clouds over the Amazon basin
Abstract. We have investigated how pollution aerosols affect the height above cloud base of rain and ice hydrometeor initiation and the subsequent vertical evolution of cloud droplet size and number concentrations in growing convective cumulus. For this purpose we used in-situ data of hydrometeor size distributions measured with instruments mounted on HALO (High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft) during the ACRIDICON-CHUVA campaign over the Amazon during September 2014. The results show that the height of rain initiation by collision and coalescence processes (Dr, in units of meters above cloud base) is linearly correlated with the number concentration of droplets (Nd in cm−3) nucle…
ML-CIRRUS: The Airborne Experiment on Natural Cirrus and Contrail Cirrus with the High-Altitude Long-Range Research Aircraft HALO
Abstract The Midlatitude Cirrus experiment (ML-CIRRUS) deployed the High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO) to obtain new insights into nucleation, life cycle, and climate impact of natural cirrus and aircraft-induced contrail cirrus. Direct observations of cirrus properties and their variability are still incomplete, currently limiting our understanding of the clouds’ impact on climate. Also, dynamical effects on clouds and feedbacks are not adequately represented in today’s weather prediction models. Here, we present the rationale, objectives, and selected scientific highlights of ML-CIRRUS using the G-550 aircraft of the German atmospheric science community. The first combi…
The airborne mass spectrometer AIMS – Part 1: AIMS-H<sub>2</sub>O for UTLS water vapor measurements
Abstract. In the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), the accurate quantification of low water vapor concentrations has presented a significant measurement challenge. The instrumental uncertainties are passed on to estimates of H2O transport, cloud formation and the role of H2O in the UTLS energy budget and resulting effects on surface temperatures. To address the uncertainty in UTLS H2O determination, the airborne mass spectrometer AIMS-H2O, with in-flight calibration, has been developed for fast and accurate airborne water vapor measurements. We present a new setup to measure water vapor by direct ionization of ambient air. Air is sampled via a backward facing inlet that inclu…
Aerosol layers from the 2008 eruptions of Mount Okmok and Mount Kasatochi: In situ upper troposphere and lower stratosphere measurements of sulfate and organics over Europe
In 2008 Mount Okmok and Mount Kasatochi started erupting on 12 July and 7 August, respectively, in the Aleutians, depositing emissions of trace gases and aerosols as high as 15.2 km into the atmosphere. During an aircraft campaign, conducted over Europe in between 27 October and 2 November 2008, the volcanic aerosol was measured by an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer, capable of particle chemical composition measurements covering a size diameter range between 40 nm and 1 mm. In the volcanic aerosol layer enhanced submicron particulate sulfate concentrations of up to 2.0 mg mâÂÂ3 standard temperature and pressure (STP) were observed between 8 and 12 km altitude, while background values …
Comparing calculated microphysical properties of tropical convective clouds at cloud base with measurements during the ACRIDICON-CHUVA campaign
Abstract. Reliable aircraft measurements of cloud microphysical properties are essential for understanding liquid convective cloud formation. In September 2014, the properties of convective clouds were measured with a Cloud Combination Probe (CCP), a Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS-DPOL), and a cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) counter on board the HALO (High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft) aircraft during the ACRIDICON-CHUVA campaign over the Amazon region. An intercomparison of the cloud drop size distributions (DSDs) and the cloud water content derived from the different instruments generally shows good agreement within the instrumental uncertainties. The objective of this s…
In-situ observations of young contrails – overview and selected results from the CONCERT campaign
Lineshaped contrails were detected with the research aircraft Falcon during the CONCERT – CONtrail and Cirrus ExpeRimenT – campaign in October/November 2008. The Falcon was equipped with a set of instruments to measure the particle size distribution, shape, extinction and chemical composition as well as trace gas mixing ratios of sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>), reactive nitrogen and halogen species (NO, NO<sub>y</sub>, HNO<sub>3</sub>, HONO, HCl), ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) and carbon monoxide (CO). During 12 mission flights over Europe, numerous contrails, cirrus clouds and a volcanic aerosol layer were probed at altitudes between 8.5 and 11.6 km…
Sensitivities of Amazonian clouds to aerosols and updraft speed
Abstract. The effects of aerosol particles and updraft speed on warm-phase cloud microphysical properties are studied in the Amazon region as part of the ACRIDICON-CHUVA experiment. Here we expand the sensitivity analysis usually found in the literature by concomitantly considering cloud evolution, putting the sensitivity quantifications into perspective in relation to in-cloud processing, and by considering the effects on droplet size distribution (DSD) shape. Our in situ aircraft measurements over the Amazon Basin cover a wide range of particle concentration and thermodynamic conditions, from the pristine regions over coastal and forested areas to the southern Amazon, which is highly poll…
In situ measurements of ice saturation in young contrails
Relative humidity with respect to ice (RHi) is a major factor controlling the evolution of aircraft contrails. High-resolution airborne H2O measurements in and near contrails were made at a rate of 4.2 Hz using the novel water vapor mass spectrometer AIMS-H2O with in-flight calibration during the CONtrail, volcano, and Cirrus ExpeRimenT (CONCERT) 2011. Three 2 min old contrails were sampled near 11 km altitude. Independent of the ambient supersaturation or subsaturation over ice, the mean of the RHi frequency distribution within each contrail is shifted toward ice saturation. This shift can be explained by the high ice surface area densities with corresponding RHi relaxation times on the or…
A quantitative analysis of stratospheric HCl, HNO3, and O3 in the tropopause region near the subtropical jet
The effects of chemical two-way mixing on the Extratropical Transition Layer (ExTL) near the subtropical jet are investigated by stratospheric tracer-tracer correlations. To this end, in situ measurements were performed west of Africa (25-32 ◦ N) during the Transport and Composition of the Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere (UTLS)/Earth System Model Validation (TACTS/ESMVal) mission in August/September 2012. The Atmospheric chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer sampling HCl and HNO3 was for the first time deployed on the new German High Altitude and Long range research aircraft (HALO). Measurements of O3, CO, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis, and the tig…
Comparing parameterized versus measured microphysical properties of tropical convective cloud bases during the ACRIDICON–CHUVA campaign
The objective of this study is to validate parameterizations that were recently developed for satellite retrievals of cloud condensation nuclei supersaturation spectra, NCCN(S), at cloud base alongside more traditional parameterizations connecting NCCN(S) with cloud base updrafts and drop concentrations. This was based on the HALO aircraft measurements during the ACRIDICON–CHUVA campaign over the Amazon region, which took place in September 2014. The properties of convective clouds were measured with a cloud combination probe (CCP), a cloud and aerosol spectrometer (CAS-DPOL), and a CCN counter onboard the HALO aircraft. An intercomparison of the cloud drop size distributions (DSDs) and the…
The airborne mass spectrometer AIMS – Part 2: Measurements of trace gases with stratospheric or tropospheric origin in the UTLS
Understanding the role of climate-sensitive trace gas variabilities in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere region (UTLS) and their impact on its radiative budget requires accurate measurements. The composition of the UTLS is governed by transport and chemistry of stratospheric and tropospheric constituents, such as chlorine, nitrogen oxide and sulfur compounds. The Atmospheric chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer AIMS has been developed to accurately measure a set of these constituents on aircraft by means of chemical ionization. Here we present a setup using SF5− reagent ions for the simultaneous measurement of trace gas concentrations of HCl, HNO3 and SO2 in the pptv to ppmv (1…
Cloud droplet number closure for tropical convective clouds during the ACRIDICON–CHUVA campaign
The main objective of the ACRIDICON-CHUVA (Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Radiation Interactions and Dynamics of Convective Cloud Systems–Cloud Processes of the Main Precipitation Systems in Brazil: A Contribution to Cloud Resolving Modeling and to the Global Precipitation measurements) campaign in September 2014 was the investigation of aerosol-cloud-interactions in the Amazon Basin. Cloud properties near cloud base of growing convective cumuli were characterized by cloud droplet size distribution measurements using a cloud combination probe (CCP) and a cloud and aerosol spectrometer (CAS-DPOL). In the current study, an adiabatic parcel model was used to perform cloud droplet number (N…
Measurements of HONO, NO, NOyand SO2in aircraft exhaust plumes at cruise
Measurements of gaseous nitrogen and sulfur oxide emissions in young aircraft exhaust plumes give insight into chemical oxidation processes inside aircraft engines. Particularly, the OHA¢Â�Â�induced formation of nitrous acid (HONO) from nitrogen oxide (NO) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) from sulfur dioxide (SO2) inside the turbine which is highly uncertain, need detailed analysis to address the climate impact of aviation. We report on airborne in situ measurements at cruise altitudes of HONO, NO, NOy, and SO2 in 9 wakes of 8 different types of modern jet airliners, including for the first time also an A380. Measurements of HONO and SO2 were made with an ITCIMS (Ion Trap Chemical Ionization Mass …
Depletion of ozone and reservoir species of chlorine and nitrogen oxide in the lower Antarctic polar vortex measured from aircraft
Novel airborne in situ measurements of inorganic chlorine, nitrogen oxide species, and ozone were performed inside the lower Antarctic polar vortex and at its edge in September 2012. We focus on one flight during the Transport and Composition of the LMS/Earth System Model Validation (TACTS/ESMVal) campaign with the German research aircraft HALO (High-Altitude LOng range research aircraft), reaching latitudes of 65°S and potential temperatures up to 405 K. Using the early winter correlations of reactive trace gases with N2O from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS), we find high depletion of chlorine reservoir gases up to ∼40% (0.8 ppbv) at 12 km to 1…
Extinction and optical depth of contrails
[1] One factor limiting the understanding of the climate impact from contrails and aircraft induced cloud modifications is the accurate determination of their optical depth. To this end, 14 contrails were sampled for 2756 s with instruments onboard the research aircraft Falcon during the CONCERT (CONtrail and Cirrus ExpeRimenT) campaign in November 2008. The young (<10 min old) contrails were produced by 9 commercial aircraft with weights of 47 to 508 t, among them the largest operating passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380. The contrails were observed at temperatures between 214 and 224 K and altitudes between 8.8 and 11.1 km. The measured mean in-contrail relative humidity with respect to i…
Further evidence for CCN aerosol concentrations determining the height of warm rain and ice initiation in convective clouds over the Amazon basin
We have investigated how aerosols affect the height above cloud base of rain and ice hydrometeor initiation and the subsequent vertical evolution of cloud droplet size and number concentrations in growing convective cumulus. For this purpose we used in situ data of hydrometeor size distributions measured with instruments mounted on HALO aircraft during the ACRIDICON–CHUVA campaign over the Amazon during September 2014. The results show that the height of rain initiation by collision and coalescence processes (Dr, in units of meters above cloud base) is linearly correlated with the number concentration of droplets (Nd in cm−3) nucleated at cloud base (Dr ≈ 5 ⋅ Nd). Additional cloud processes…