0000000000564226
AUTHOR
Kaspar Graf
Impact of rocket exhaust plumes on atmospheric composition and climate – an overview
Rockets are the only direct anthropogenic emission sources into the upper atmosphere. Gaseous rocket emissions include CO, N2, H2, H2O, and CO2, while solid rocket motors (SRM) additionally inject significant amounts of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) particles and gaseous chlorine species into the atmosphere. These emissions strongly perturb local at- mospheric trace gas and aerosol distributions. Here, the 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 field are summarized.
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…
Contrail formation in the tropopause region caused by emissions from an Ariane 5 rocket
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 km altitude a few days after rocket launches. Here, we present unique evidence for cirrus formation in the tropopause region caused by ice nucleation in the exhaust plume from an Ariane 5-ECA rocket. Meteorological reanalysis data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts show significant ice supersaturation at the 100 hPa level in the American tropical tropopause region on 26 November 2011. Near 17 km altitudes temperatures are below the Sch…