Circumpolar measurements of ozone, particles, and carbon monoxide from a commercial airliner

Abstract

Trace constituent data are presented from the unique flight of an airliner around the world over both poles. Relatively high resolution and simultaneous measurements of ozone, carbon monoxide, light-scattering particles, condensation nuclei, and meteorological parameters were obtained. The mutual variations of the data in the polar stratospheres, and in the tropical upper troposphere, are discussed in their meteorological setting. The data from the Arctic lower stratosphere are consistent with a tropospheric source of condensation nuclei, but not of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide mixing ratios in the Antarctic stratosphere averaged 44 ppbv. In the tropical troposphere they averaged 66 ppbv over the Pacific versus 89 ppbv over Africa. A local area of higher concentration (115 ppbv) was encountered over tropical Africa; its possible relation to carbon monoxide production by vegetation and deep convection is discussed. Evidence was found in the tropical upper troposphere of distinct boundaries between air masses of different temperature, ozone content, and particle content. PARTICLES• 250 I00 I000 ß ß ß ß CARBON MONOXIDE-'• 200 80 ß ß ß AA A A •, ß ß ß ß ß ß ß 150 60 ß •C>• ß ß OZONE -• Lett., 2, 289-292, 1975.

Experimental evidence of natural sources of CO from measurements in the troposphere

“…The low CO mixing ratios observed at sea level (90 ppb by extrapolating the vertical distribution in the lower layers) and in altitude (70 ppb at about 3 kin) are in good accordance with those found in oceanic air at these latitudes [Seiler, 1974;Pratt and Falconer, 1979].…”

“…extreme values of the decay process velocity (oxidation, uptake by soils) one can calculate (for a planetary boundary layer 1200 m thick, containing 200 ppb of CO, and a free atmosphere 12 km high and containing 100 ppb of CO) a tropospheric CO residence time of about 0.2 year (minimum 0.03 year). They are also in concordance with the interpretation given byPratt and Falconer [1979] of Influence of Anthropogenic Sources The choice of the experimental areas (see discussion in section III), the precautions taken during the samplings (period, ural hydrocarbons).The CO mixing ratios observed in forest air are very similar in France and Africa: about 100 to 200 ppb.…”

“…By analyzing and comparing our results together with those of the literature [Robinson and Robins, 1969;$eiler and Junge, 1970;$eiler, 1974;$winnerton and Lamontagne, 1974;Gauntner et al, 1979;Pratt and Falconer, 1979;Fabian et al, 1979] it becomes possible to give an order of magnitude for the CO mixing ratios in 'not directly polluted air' of the main tropospheric layers (Table 4).…”

Civil Aircraft for the regular investigation of the atmosphere based on an instrumented container: The new CARIBIC system

“…Note that in those days ozone was not removed from the cabin air supply. In the seventies, a dedicated inlet and measurement system for CO, condensation nuclei, and O 3 were permanently installed on five Boeing 737 aircraft within the GASP (Global Atmospheric Sampling Project) project of NASA (Falconer and Holdeman, 1976;Nastrom, 1979;Pratt and Falconer, 1979). After that, commercial airliners were not used, with the exception of an instrumented airfreight container operated by two persons onboard a Boeing 707 of Lufthansa Cargo Services (Dickerson, 1984;Connors et al, 1991).…”

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union Volume 86, Number 8, 22 February 2005

“…These civil aircraft-based atmospheric research projects follow a U.S. precursor project GASP (Global Atmospheric Sampling Project) [Falconer and Holdeman, 1976;Pratt and Falconer, 1979]. Using passenger or freight aircraft to undertake scientific research requires the compatibility of the equipment with the aircraft environment, and certification of the equipment by national and international aviation authorities.These are complex procedures.…”