Aeronautics and environment research series: AERONOX
The European Commission, DG XII, has published the first in a series of reports on research related to aeronautics and the environment. The reports will present the results of research projects, relating to the aeronautics and the environment, funded jointly under the BRITE/EURAM programme (specific research programme in the field of industrial and materials technologies (1990-1994)) and the Environment Research programme (specific research programme in the field of the environment (1990-1994)). The first volume in the series covers the comprehensive work done under the AERONOX project (1992-1994) which investigated the impact of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from aircraft on the atmosphere at flight altitudes 8-15 km. This EC-supported project brought together sixteen European groups, from various research establishments, universities and industry, with expertise in atmospheric science and aeronautics technology. The report presents the state of knowledge regarding the atmospheric effects of emissions of subsonic air traffic. More specifically, it describes the investigations on NOx emissions from aircraft engines and global air traffic at cruising altitudes, the resultant increase in NOx concentration, and the effects on the composition of the atmosphere, in particular with respect to ozone formation in the upper troposphere. The publication is divided into five separate chapters, each containing an introduction, a summary and a detailed list of references. These cover the following areas: - Overview of the AERONOX project; - Engine exhaust emissions; - A global inventory of aircraft NOx emissions; - Physics and chemistry in the aircraft wake; - Global atmosphere model simulations.