Traffic emissions

traffic emissions

The chemical composition of the earth's atmosphere is in parts primarily determined by emissions of species like carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO2), hydrocarbons or soot. Besides natural sources transport has an important role among anthropogenic emissions. Surface transport has a much higher capacity and much higher annual emissions than air traffic. However, air traffic emits species at about 12 km, an altitude which is less affected by other emissions.

DLR develops emission data sets of individual transport sectors to assess the global impact of transport on the composition of the atmosphere and finally on climate. Based on numerical simulations with the global climate-chemistry ECHAM/CHEM, transport and chemical effects of the emitted species are investigated.