Aviation affects our climate in complex ways. UNIC (Understanding the Non-CO2 Impact of 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 (CO₂) like nitrous oxides (NOx), water vapor and particulate matter (PM). Some of these also play a key role in the formation of condensation trails (contrails), and through them, contrail-induced clouds, which are currently thought to contribute to the largest share of aviation’s non-CO₂ effect on climate. Despite their importance, the exact role and mechanisms through which non-CO₂ emissions have this impact still carries significant uncertainties. To overcome these and advance towards a more complete understanding of the climate impacts from aviation, UNIC combines innovative in-flight and ground-based emissions measurement methods, advanced lab-scale experiments, and cutting-edge modelling. Through these, it will advance the scientific understanding of the real-world emission concentrations from aircraft at altitude and the role these play in contrail and contrail-cloud formation, as well as, aerosol-cloud interactions.