Aircraft Emissions, Their Plume-Scale Effects, and the Spatio-Temporal Sensitivity of the Atmospheric Response: A Review

Abstract

Non-CO2 aircraft emissions are responsible for the majority of aviation’s climate impact, however their precise effect is largely dependent on the environmental conditions of the ambient air in which they are released. Investigating the principal causes of this spatio-temporal sensitivity can bolster understanding of aviation-induced climate change, as well as offer potential mitigation solutions that can be implemented in the interim to low carbon flight regimes. This review paper covers the generation of emissions and their characteristic dispersion, air traffic distribution, local and global climate impact, and operational mitigation solutions, all aimed at improving scientific awareness of aviation’s non-CO2 climate impact.