Climate-optimized trajectories and robust mitigation potential

Climate-optimized trajectories and robust mitigation potential: Flying atm4e

Matthes, Sigrun (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR))
Lührs, Benjamin (Hamburg University of Technology)
Dahlmann, Katrin (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR))
Grewe, V. (TU Delft Aircraft Noise and Climate Effects; Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR))
Linke, Florian (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR))
Yin, F. (TU Delft Aircraft Noise and Climate Effects)
Klingaman, Emma (University of Reading)
Shine, Keith P. (University of Reading)

2020

Aviation can reduce its climate impact by controlling its CO₂-emission and non-CO₂ effects, e.g., aviation-induced contrail-cirrus and ozone caused by nitrogen oxide emissions. One option is the implementation of operational measures that aim to avoid those atmospheric regions that are in particular sensitive to non-CO₂ aviation effects, e.g., where persistent contrails form. The quantitative estimates of mitigation potentials of such climate-optimized aircraft trajectories are required, when working towards sustainable aviation. The results are presented from a comprehensive modelling approach when aiming to identify such climate-optimized aircraft trajectories. The overall concept relies on a multi-dimensional environmental change function concept, which is capable of providing climate impact information to air traffic management (ATM). Estimates on overall climate impact reduction from a one-day case study are presented that rely on the best estimate for climate impact information. Specific weather situation that day, containing regions with high contrail impact, results in a potential reduction of total climate impact, by more than 40%, when considering CO₂ and non-CO₂ effects, associated with an increase of fuel by about 0.5%. The climate impact reduction per individual alternative trajectory shows a strong variation and, hence, also the mitigation potential for an analyzed city pair, depending on atmospheric characteristics along the flight corridor as well as flight altitude. The robustness of proposed climate-optimized trajectories is assessed by using a range of different climate metrics. A more sustainable ATM needs to integrate comprehensive environmental impacts and associated forecast uncertainties into route optimization in order to identify robust eco-efficient trajectories.

Air traffic management
Climate impact
Climate optimization
Eco-efficient trajectories

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:20401e1c-1ef4-4473-81a4-2f3305c0e995

https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace7110156

2226-4310

Aerospace — Open Access Aeronautics and Astronautics Journal, 7 (11), 1-15

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2020 Sigrun Matthes, Benjamin Lührs, Katrin Dahlmann, V. Grewe, Florian Linke, F. Yin, Emma Klingaman, Keith P. Shine