Nonmethane hydrocarbon measurements in the North Atlantic Flight Corridor during the Subsonic Assessment Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
• Main Authors: Simpson, IJ, Sive, BC, Blake, DR, Blake, NJ, Chen, T‐Y, Lopez, JP, Anderson, BE, Sachse, GW, Vay, SA, Fuelberg, HE, Kondo, Y, Thompson, AM, Rowland, FS
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: eScholarship, University of California 2000
• Subjects: Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/11m3q739; https://escholarship.org/content/qt11m3q739/qt11m3q739.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/1999jd900750

Mixing ratios of nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) were not enhanced in whole air samples collected within the North Atlantic Flight Corridor (NAFC) during the fall of 1997. The investigation was conducted aboard NASA's DC-8 research aircraft, as part of the Subsonic Assessment (SASS) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment (SONEX). NMHC enhancements were not detected within the general organized tracking system of the NAFC, nor during two tail chases of the DC-8's own exhaust. Because positive evidence of aircraft emissions was demonstrated by enhancements in both nitrogen oxides and condensation nuclei during SONEX, the NMHC results suggest that the commercial air traffic fleet operating in the North Atlantic region does not contribute at all or contributes negligibly to NMHCs in the NAFC. Copyright 2000 by the American Geophysical Union.