Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 15 May 1992:
Vol. 256. no. 5059, pp. 987 - 991
DOI: 10.1126/science.256.5059.987
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Airborne Studies of the Smoke from the Kuwait Oil Fires

Peter V. Hobbs 1 and Lawrence F. Radke 2

1 Professor of atmospheric sciences and director of the Cloud and Aerosol Research Group, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
2 Manager of the Research Aviation Facility, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Post Office Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307

Airborne studies of smoke from the Kuwait oil fires were carried out in the spring of 1991 when sim4.6 million barrels of oil were burning per day. Emissions of sulfur dioxide were sim57% of that from electric utilities in the United States; emissions of carbon dioxide were sim2% of global emissions; emissions of soot were sim3400 metric tons per day. The smoke absorbed sim75 to 80% of the sun's radiation in regions of the Persian Gulf. However, the smoke probably had insignificant global effects because (i) particle emissions were less than expected, (ii) the smoke was not as black as expected, (iii) the smoke was not carried high in the atmosphere, and (iv) the smoke had a short atmospheric residence time.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Observations of the plume generated by the December 2005 oil depot explosions and prolonged fire at Buncefield (Hertfordshire, UK) and associated atmospheric changes.
T.A Mather, R.G Harrison, V.I Tsanev, D.M Pyle, M.L Karumudi, A.J Bennett, G.M Sawyer, and E.J Highwood (2007)
Proc R Soc A 463, 1153-1177
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Respiratory health status of Australian veterans of the 1991 Gulf War and the effects of exposure to oil fire smoke and dust storms.
H L Kelsall, M R Sim, A B Forbes, D P McKenzie, D C Glass, J F Ikin, P Ittak, and M J Abramson (2004)
Thorax 59, 897-903
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)