Evaluating climate-chemistry response and mitigation options with AirClim

Kurzfassung

The evaluation of climate change mitigation options addresses the whole air traffic system. Any optimization with respect to climate change requires a representation of this system and hence a simplification of the individual components and models. AirClim is such a model for simplified evaluation of the approximate chemistry -climate impact of air traffic emissions. The model represents the major responses of the atmosphere to emissions in terms of composition and climate change. The model is used to evaluate both the mean response and the uncertainty range of the climate impact of any change in the air traffic system. The uncertainty range is derived by a Monte-Carlo simulation using random variations of uncertain model input parameters. This uncertainty range is found to be much smaller than the uncertainties in knowledge of the air traffic climate impact in general.