AIRBORNE OBSERVATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KUWAIT OIL SMOKE PLUME

Airborne measurements in the densest part of the smoke plume at about 120km from the burning wells in Kuwait in late March 1991 showed typical particulate mass densities of 500-1,000-mu-g m-3, mixing ratios of 500-1,000 p.p.b.v. of sulphur dioxide and 30-60 p.p.b.v. of nitrogen oxides. One thousand kilometres from Kuwait, ozone concentrations in the plume exceeded background levels by about 50 p.p.b.v. The oil burn rate was estimated f rom sulphur fluxes to be 3.9 +/- 1.6 million barrels per day. Significant amounts of smoke were observed only below 5,000 m altitude, and the measured attenuation of solar radiation by the smoke was similar to those assumed in recent assessments.