CaltechAUTHORS
Published January 1, 1997 | Version Published
Journal Article Open

The role of HO_x in super- and subsonic aircraft exhaust plumes

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon Harvard University
  • 2. ROR icon Earth System Research Laboratory
  • 3. ROR icon Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
  • 4. ROR icon Jet Propulsion Lab

Abstract

The generation of sulfuric acid aerosols in aircraft exhaust has emerged as a critical issue in determining the impact of supersonic aircraft on stratospheric ozone. It has long been held that the first step in the mechanism of aerosol formation is the oxidation of SO_(2) emitted from the engine by OH in the exhaust plume. We report in situ measurements of OH and HO_(2) in the exhaust plumes of a supersonic (Air France Concorde) and a subsonic (NASA ER-2) aircraft in the lower stratosphere. These measurements imply that reactions with OH are responsible for oxidizing only a small fraction of SO_(2) (2%), and thus cannot explain the large number of particles observed in the exhaust wake of the Concorde.

Additional Information

© 1997 American Geophysical Union. Received September 26, 1996; revised November 21, 1996; accepted November 25, 1996. The authors thank the pilots of the NASA ER-2 and of the Air France Concorde for their achievements. We also acknowledge support from NASA's Upper Atmospheric Research and High Speed Research Programs.

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Additional details

Additional titles

Alternative title
The role of HOx in super- and subsonic aircraft exhaust plumes

Identifiers

Eprint ID
46623
Resolver ID
CaltechAUTHORS:20140702-093146466

Funding

NASA

Dates

Created
2014-07-02
Created from EPrint's datestamp field
Updated
2021-11-10
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Caltech Custom Metadata

Caltech groups
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences (GPS)