Workshop reports on air pollution
A research report on 'Aviation, aerosols, contrails and cirrus clouds: proceedings of a European workshop,' which took place in Seeheim near Frankfurt in July 2000, is now available from the European Commission. The workshop was organised by the European Commission, DERA, DFG and BMBF, Lufthansa, and DLR. It covered introductory and background information; particle formation and properties; contrails and cloud changes; and parameters affecting aviation impact. The proceedings describe individual contributions from participants and summarises the outcome of three working groups and a panel discussion at the end of the workshop. 'The workshop confirmed the importance of the topic. Aircraft cause visible changes in the atmosphere by forming contrails that represent an artificially induced cirrus cloud. Aviation induced contrails, aerosols and cirrus changes have the potential to be a (sic) larger importance for climate than changes induced by aviation emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides,' report the authors.