Aviation affects our climate in complex ways. UNIC (Understanding the Non-CO₂ Impacts of Decarbonised Aviation) will address key knowledge gaps to enable both science and policy to tackle them
Reducing Uncertainty, Enabling Action
UNIC combines innovative in-flight and ground-based emissions measurement methods, advanced lab-scale experiments, and cutting-edge modelling.
Aviation contributes approximately 3-4% of the total anthropogenic radiative forcing on the atmosphere. Up to two-thirds of that impact are estimated to originate from emissions other than that of carbon dioxide, also known as non-CO₂ emissions, such as nitrous oxides (NOx), water vapor (H₂O), and particulate matter (PM).
Some non-CO₂ emissions play a key role in the formation of both persistent condensation trails (contrails) and contrail-induced cirrus clouds, which are currently thought to contribute the largest share of aviation’s non-CO₂ effect on climate.
Despite this, the exact mechanisms through which non-CO₂ emissions have this impact still involves significant uncertainties. To reduce these and advance towards a more complete understanding of aviation climate impacts, UNIC will bring together innovative in-flight and ground-based emissions measurement methods, advanced lab-scale experiments, and cutting-edge modelling to advance the scientific understanding of real-world emissions from aircraft at cruise altitude and the role these play in contrail and contrail-cloud formation, as well as aerosol-cloud interactions.
Project Objectives
01 KNOWLEDGE
Closing data gaps in aviation emissions with real-world emissions measurement
02 UNDERSTANDING
Assessing the effects of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrogen (H2) on non-CO2 emissions
03 MODELLING
Improved modelling tools to include account for additional parameters
04 EVALUATION
Providing improved data and tools to evaluate the non-CO2 impact of aviation to policy makers.
Work Packages
Work Package 1: Project Management
Coordination and monitoring of overall research progress, managing resource distribution, and establishing data management plans. Administrative and financial coordination, governance agreement compliance and results reporting. | Led by ONERA with support from ENV-ISA
Work Package 2: On-board Kit Development and Validation
Design and deployment of a sensor for in-flight measurement of nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM) emissions at cruise altitude. Measurement protocols development, certification, and demonstration. | Led by Cardiff University
Work Package 3: Engine Emissions Measurements Beyond Certification
Studies interactions of lubrication oil vapours with combustion emissions via laboratory simulations, lean-burn and advanced rich-burn engine testing, developing oxidation flow reactor (OFR), and defining a measurement kit. | Led by ONERA
Work Package 4: Contrail and Aerosol-Cloud Interactions
Improved understanding of particulate matter (PM)’s complex role in contrail formation through nucleation modeling. Studying aerosol-cloud interactions in the far field and climate forcing and impacts using global models. | Led by the University of Reading
Work Package 5: EASA and Policy
Exploring policies for reducing the overall non-CO₂ climate impact using research findings, focusing on measures put forward in the 2020 European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) report and informing wider policy discussions. | Led by Manchester Metropolitan University
Work Package 6: Communication and Dissemination
Strategies for communicating project results and widely disseminating them amongst relevant stakeholders. This includes putting forward detailed plans for research exploitation and intellectual property rights (IPR) management and protection | Led by ENV-ISA
OUR PARTNERS
