Characterizing the transport patterns and climate effects of aviation emissions using a novel Lagrangian tagging method

Abstract

The resilient growth of air travel significantly impacts the environment through emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. These chemical species affect climate change, air quality, human health, wildlife and agriculture. Aviation currently accounts for around 3–5% of anthropogenic climate change, a share likely to rise due to increasing passenger demand and the challenge of implementing effective mitigation solutions. Besides carbon dioxide (CO₂), aircraft produce short-lived climate forcers like nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), water vapor (H₂O), contrails and aerosols, notably soot and sulfate (SO₄). Many of these lead to highly uncertain warming and cooling effects. The magnitude of these effects strongly depends on how pollutants are transported and chemically transformed throughout the atmosphere – processes that are influenced by flight altitude and seasonal conditions. This dissertation aims to advance our understanding of aviation’s climate effects by investigating the transport patterns of pollutants like NOₓ and SO₄ through the development and application of a novel Lagrangian tagging method.