Impact of Climate Change on UK Air Transport

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Impact of Climate Change on UK Air Transport

• Aim
• To identify the possible impacts of climate
  change for UK aviation and the feedback
  mechanisms involved
• Description
• Through model simulations and data analysis,
  explore climate impacts associated with
• Increased use of existing airport
  infrastructure, including measures to address
  congestion
• Increased use of regional airports
• Changes in the fleet of aircrafts operating in
  and over the UK

This project is part of the Building Knowledge
for a Changing Climate initiative, led by EPSRC
and UKCIP
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Impact of Climate Change on UK Air Transport

• Outcomes
• Understanding of sensitivity of UK air traffic
  system to wind changes
• Information on changes in contrail formation
  caused by temperature and humidity changes
• Identification of existing or proposed airports
  or routes particularly vulnerable to climate
  change and those likely to have increased impact
  on climate as a result of changing local
  atmospheric conditions
• Identification of sensitivities of mechanisms
  through which aviation contributes to climate
  change
• End date Autumn 2007

Airplane contrail
Contact V Williams at v.williams_at_imperial.ac.uk
or visit http//www.imperial.ac.uk/research/transp
ort