Mitigation of non-CO₂ aviation’s climate impact by changing cruise altitudes

Mitigation of non-CO₂ aviation’s climate impact by changing cruise altitudes

Matthes, Sigrun (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR))
Lim, Ling (Manchester Metropolitan University)
Burkhardt, Ulrike (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR))
Dahlmann, Katrin (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR))
Dietmüller, Simone (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))
Haslerud, Amund S. (Universitetet i Oslo)
Hendricks, Johannes (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR))
Owen, Bethan (Manchester Metropolitan University)
Pitari, Giovanni (University of L'Aquila)
Righi, Mattia (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR))
Skowron, Agnieszka (Manchester Metropolitan University)

2021

Aviation is seeking for ways to reduce its climate impact caused by CO₂ emissions and non-CO₂ effects. Operational measures which change overall flight altitude have the potential to reduce climate impact of individual effects, comprising CO₂ but in particular non-CO₂ effects. We study the impact of changes of flight altitude, specifically aircraft flying 2000 feet higher and lower, with a set of global models comprising chemistry-transport, chemistry-climate and general circulation models integrating distinct aviation emission inventories representing such alternative flight altitudes, estimating changes in climate impact of aviation by quantifying radiative forcing and induced temperature change. We find in our sensitivity study that flying lower leads to a reduction of radiative forcing of non-CO₂ effects together with slightly increased CO₂ emissions and impacts, when cruise speed is not modified. Flying higher increases radiative forcing of non-CO₂ effects by about 10%, together with a slight decrease of CO₂ emissions and impacts. Overall, flying lower decreases aviation-induced temperature change by about 20%, as a decrease of non-CO₂ impacts by about 30% dominates over slightly increasing CO₂ impacts assuming a sustained emissions scenario. Those estimates are connected with a large but unquantified uncertainty. To improve the understanding of mechanisms controlling the aviation climate impact, we study the geographical distributions of aviation-induced modifications in the atmosphere, together with changes in global radiative forcing and suggest further efforts in order to reduce long standing uncertainties.

Alternative aircraft trajectories
Alternative flight altitudes
Aviation climate impact
Mitigation strategies
Nitrogen oxides
Non-CO effects

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:75bf1d90-2bbe-4d52-86f4-5e1074d554c9

https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8020036

2226-4310

Aerospace, 8 (2), 1-20

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2021 Sigrun Matthes, Ling Lim, Ulrike Burkhardt, Katrin Dahlmann, Simone Dietmüller, V. Grewe, Amund S. Haslerud, Johannes Hendricks, Bethan Owen, Giovanni Pitari, Mattia Righi, Agnieszka Skowron