Details:

Journal Title:
Earth's Future
Personal Author:
Larson, E. J. L. ; Portmann, R. W. ; Rosenlof, K. H. ; Fahey, D. W. ; Daniel, J. S. ; ... More +
Larson, E. J. L. ; Portmann, R. W. ; Rosenlof, K. H. ; Fahey, D. W. ; Daniel, J. S. ; Ross, M. N. Less -
NOAA Program & Office:
OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research)ESRL (Earth System Research Laboratory) ; CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) ; CSL (Chemical Sciences Laboratory)CILER (Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research)
OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research)ESRL (Earth System Research Laboratory) ; CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) ; CSL (Chemical Sciences Laboratory)CILER (Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research) Less -
Description:
Modern reusable launch vehicle technology may allow high flight rate space transportation at low cost. Emissions associated with a hydrogen fueled reusable rocket system are modeled based on the launch requirements of developing a space-based solar power system that generates present-day global electric energy demand. Flight rates from 10(4) to 10(6)per year are simulated and sustained to a quasisteady state. For the assumed rocket engine, H2O and NOX are the primary emission products; this also includes NOX produced during reentry heating. For a base case of 10(5) flights per year, global stratospheric and mesospheric water vapor increase by approximately 10 and 100%, respectively. As a result, high-latitude cloudiness increases in the lower stratosphere and near the mesopause by as much as 20%. Increased water vapor also results in global effective radiative forcing of about 0.03W/m(2). NOX produced during reentry exceeds meteoritic production by more than an order of magnitude, and along with in situ stratospheric emissions, results in a 0.5% loss of the globally averaged ozone column, with column losses in the polar regions exceeding 2%.
Source:
Earths Future, 5(1), 37-48.
DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2016ef000399
Document Type:
Journal Article
Rights Information:
CC BY-NC-ND
Compliance:
Submitted
Main Document Checksum:
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urn:sha256:3e87c58c96c662208b86221bc00fe5dc6e09d10696dc75ac6c60f52659ca474f
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