Articles | Volume 24, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2045-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2045-2024
Research article
 | 
16 Feb 2024
Research article |  | 16 Feb 2024

Jet aircraft lubrication oil droplets as contrail ice-forming particles

Joel Ponsonby, Leon King, Benjamin J. Murray, and Marc E. J. Stettler

Related authors

Ground-based contrail observations: comparisons with flight telemetry and contrail model estimates
Jade Low, Roger Teoh, Joel Ponsonby, Edward Gryspeerdt, Marc Shapiro, and Marc Stettler
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1458,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1458, 2024
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Laboratory Studies | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Role of sea spray aerosol at the air–sea interface in transporting aromatic acids to the atmosphere
Yaru Song, Jianlong Li, Narcisse Tsona Tchinda, Kun Li, and Lin Du
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5847–5862, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5847-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5847-2024, 2024
Short summary
Modeling the influence of carbon branching structure on secondary organic aerosol formation via multiphase reactions of alkanes
Azad Madhu, Myoseon Jang, and Yujin Jo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5585–5602, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5585-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5585-2024, 2024
Short summary
Technical note: Characterization of a single-beam gradient force aerosol optical tweezer for droplet trapping, phase transition monitoring, and morphology studies
Xiangyu Pei, Yikan Meng, Yueling Chen, Huichao Liu, Yao Song, Zhengning Xu, Fei Zhang, Thomas C. Preston, and Zhibin Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5235–5246, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5235-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5235-2024, 2024
Short summary
Soot aerosols from commercial aviation engines are poor ice-nucleating particles at cirrus cloud temperatures
Baptiste Testa, Lukas Durdina, Peter A. Alpert, Fabian Mahrt, Christopher H. Dreimol, Jacinta Edebeli, Curdin Spirig, Zachary C. J. Decker, Julien Anet, and Zamin A. Kanji
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4537–4567, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4537-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4537-2024, 2024
Short summary
Contribution of brown carbon to light absorption in emissions of European residential biomass combustion appliances
Satish Basnet, Anni Hartikainen, Aki Virkkula, Pasi Yli-Pirilä, Miika Kortelainen, Heikki Suhonen, Laura Kilpeläinen, Mika Ihalainen, Sampsa Väätäinen, Juho Louhisalmi, Markus Somero, Jarkko Tissari, Gert Jakobi, Ralf Zimmermann, Antti Kilpeläinen, and Olli Sippula
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3197–3215, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3197-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3197-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

Appleman, H.: The Formation of Exhaust Condensation Trails by Jet Aircraft, American Meteorological Society, 34, 14–20, 1953. 
Bier, A. and Burkhardt, U.: Variability in Contrail Ice Nucleation and Its Dependence on Soot Number Emissions, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 124, 3384–3400, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029155, 2019. 
Bier, A., Unterstrasser, S., and Vancassel, X.: Box model trajectory studies of contrail formation using a particle-based cloud microphysics scheme, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 823–845, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-823-2022, 2022. 
Bräuer, T., Voigt, C., Sauer, D., Kaufmann, S., Hahn, V., Scheibe, M., Schlager, H., Huber, F., Le Clercq, P., Moore, R. H., and Anderson, B. E.: Reduced ice number concentrations in contrails from low-aromatic biofuel blends, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16817–16826, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16817-2021, 2021. 
Burkhardt, U. and Kärcher, B.: Process-based simulation of contrail cirrus in a global climate model, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 114, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD011491, 2009. 
Download
Short summary
Aerosol emissions from aircraft engines contribute to the formation of contrails, which have a climate impact as important as that of aviation’s CO2 emissions. For the first time, we experimentally investigate the freezing behaviour of water droplets formed on jet lubrication oil aerosol. We show that they can activate to form water droplets and discuss their potential impact on contrail formation. Our study has implications for contrails produced by future aircraft engine and fuel technologies.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint