The evaluation and development of techniques used to model the effects of aircraft emissions on climate and air pollution

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
As the popularity of and global access to air travel expands, quantifying its impact on climate and air pollution becomes increasingly important. Despite advancements in research, large uncertainties remain in quantifying the impact of non-CO2 aircraft emissions on the atmosphere. The highly-varying spatial distribution of emissions and their byproducts, as well as the wide temporal range over which changes occur, make in-flight measurement campaigns difficult, and have only recently become available. The complex micro-physical and chemical processes that occur in an early aircraft plume make modeling these effects equally difficult, and the methods by which they are assessed are continually updated. This work discusses several techniques used to model the effects of aviation on climate and air pollution in an attempt to quantify and minimize the uncertainties associated with model results. First, a study is presented comparing the results of modeling aircraft exhaust in an expanding sub-grid plume, versus adding it directly to the model grid-scale. The effects of adding additional layered plumes representing multiple, overlapping flights, and the frequency with which those interactions occur, is also examined. The following chapter explores the effects of global, all-altitude aircraft emissions on surface air quality, a subject that necessitates the use of global atmospheric chemistry models. However, the techniques and interpretation of results from previous studies have varied widely. Here, five models with harmonized input are used to predict aviation-induced changes in surface ozone and particulate matter. The inter-comparison also helps identify the primary reasons results from previous studies have shown such large variation. Finally, a study is presented comparing the modeled evolution of aircraft exhaust aerosol and contrail particles and gases with measurements from the ACCESS II field experiment. The ACCESS II campaign measured short-term, near-field exhaust from several flights in order to compare the contrail characteristics of flights using traditional JP-8 jet fuel versus an alternative biofuel/low-sulfur JP-8 blend. This work explores the methods used to model early contrail development, and the impact these methods have on longer-term atmospheric simulations.

Description

Type of resource text
Form electronic; electronic resource; remote
Extent 1 online resource.
Publication date 2017
Issuance monographic
Language English

Creators/Contributors

Associated with Cameron, Mary Alice
Associated with Stanford University, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department.
Primary advisor Jacobson, Mark Z. (Mark Zachary)
Thesis advisor Jacobson, Mark Z. (Mark Zachary)
Thesis advisor Hildemann, Lynn M. (Lynn Mary)
Thesis advisor Lele, Sanjiva K. (Sanjiva Keshava), 1958-
Advisor Hildemann, Lynn M. (Lynn Mary)
Advisor Lele, Sanjiva K. (Sanjiva Keshava), 1958-

Subjects

Genre Theses

Bibliographic information

Statement of responsibility Mary Alice Cameron.
Note Submitted to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Thesis Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2017.
Location electronic resource

Access conditions

Copyright
© 2017 by Mary Alice Cameron
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).

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