Concept studies on the mitigation potential by climate-optimized flights
March 8, 2021
Concept studies on the mitigation potential by climate-optimized flights
Climate impact of aviation is caused by both CO2 emissions and non-CO2 effects, comprising by way of example contrail and contrail-cirrus, as well as nitrogen oxide (NOx)-induced ozone (O3) formation and methane (CH4) destruction. Aviation can mitigate its climate impact by reducing CO2 emissions and also by reducing non-CO2 effects. One option to implement such mitigation strategies is to avoid regions of the atmosphere which are in particular sensitive to non-CO2 effects, by identifying alternative, climate-optimized aircraft flight paths.
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Climate-optimized aircraft flight planning in the European Airspace for the connections (a) Lulea, Sweden to Gran Canaria, Spain (b) Helsinki, Finland to Gran Canaria, Spain, and (c) Baku-Luxembourg: great circle connection (blue) and climate-optimized flight planning Flugrouten (black) over Europe (upper row). Vertical profiles of the flight trajectory showing fuel-optimized route (middle) and climate-optimized route with 0.5% fuel penalty (lower row). (Matthes et al., 2020)
Within the frame of European collaborative research projects under the coordination of the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Oberpfaffenhofen, the initial idea of avoiding climate sensitive regions in the atmosphere was developed in the European Aeronautic collaborative project REACT4C. This idea was taken further in the SESAR JU (Single European Sky Aeronautics Research Joint Undertaking) projects ATM4E and FlyATM4E and climate mitigation potentials were explored for the European air space (Matthes et al., 2020), in order to develop strategies on how to identify such climate optimal flight paths and to explore concepts on future implementation in an advanced air traffic management.
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Feasibility study for the European Airspace: Comparison of climate-optimized flight routes with the fuel-optimal flight routes (left) showing relative reduction in climate impact ATR (average temperature response) and the associated relative fuel increase. Components of overall climate impact in this 1-day-case-study for the fuel optimal case (0%) and climate-optimized cases with 0.5% and 1% fuel penalty are shown. By accepting a fuel penalty of 0.5%, contrail sensitive regions are avoided, reducing impacts of contrail-cirrus (AIC), while overall climate impact originates from carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides induced effects (NOx) and water vapour (H2O). (Matthes et al., 2020)
“Central elements of such climate-optimized flight planning is the provision of temporally and spatially resolved information, where these climate sensitive regions are located and the provision and quantification of the climate impact of aviation emissions, which are deposited at these specific locations”, explains project leader Dr. Sigrun Matthes, atmospheric scientist in the Earth-System Development department of the DLR Institute. “For this we have developed in our team the concept of the climate change functions, which enable to provide information on these climate sensitive regions as a meteorological (MET) service to the flight planning process”. Her work in the current research project FlyATM4E (Flying Air Traffic Management for Environment) is mentioned on the occasion of the international women’s day presenting her work as project leader together with other European Initiatives in a SESAR article (Women in ATM).
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Cumulative CO2 emission distribution from 1-day-case-study for the European Airspace as geographical distribution and vertical distribution (bottom and right). (Lührs et al., 2021)
In a case study for the European Airspace it was shown in the Exploratory Research SESAR Project ATM4E that considerable mitigation potentials exist by using a first estimate of these climate change functions on a day with high contrail formation, with only small fuel penalties when avoiding that region. These mitigation potentials are caused by a reduction of non-CO2 effects, in this case especially contrails (Matthes et al., 2020). For such an optimization it was shown, that by efficient selection of flight paths and only optimizing 25% of the city pair connections considerable mitigation gains can be achieved (Lührs et al.,2021).
Both scientific articles are part of the special issue “Towards Sustainable Aviation”, presenting contributions to the ECATS Conference on the challenges of sustainable aviation in the journal Aerospace. Other interesting studies explore e.g. future engine concepts, on the mitigation potential of formation flight, on prediction of contrail formation, or how the climate impact changes when aircraft are flying at alternative flight altitudes. This scientific conference is regularly organized by the international association ECATS (Environmentally Compatible Air Transport System, IASBL, Brussels), and this 3rd conference was successfully held as an online event. The association founded in 2010 includes members of leading research institutions and universities in Europe in the domain “Aviation and Environment” and is organizing, with currently Dr. Sigrun Matthes acting as chair, its work in several working groups. Topics are e.g. alternative aviation fuels, climate impact of aviation and mitigation options, and green flight, disseminated and supported by conferences, scientific project collaboration, and student schools to foster the education of early career scientists.
The FlyATM4E consortium, led by the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics, is composed of Technical University Hamburg, Technical University Delft, University Carlos III in Madrid, DLR Air Transport System and it builds on its expertise covering the whole spectrum from atmospheric science and climate research to aviation operations research and aircraft trajectory optimization.
Lührs et al., Lührs, B.; Linke, F.; Matthes, S.; Grewe, V.; Yin, F. Climate Impact Mitigation Potential of European Air Traffic in a Weather Situation with Strong Contrail Formation. Aerospace2021, 8, 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8020050
Matthes, S.; Lim, L.; Burkhardt, U.; Dahlmann, K.; Dietmüller, S.; Grewe, V.; Haslerud, A.S.; Hendricks, J.; Owen, B.; Pitari, G.; Righi, M.; Skowron, A. Mitigation of Non-CO2 Aviation’s Climate Impact by Changing Cruise Altitudes. Aerospace2021, 8, 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8020036
