Constraining the heterogeneous loss of O₃ on soot particles with observations in jet engine exhaust plumes

In situ measurements in the engine exhaust of a Concorde supersonic aircraft in the lower stratosphere are used to constrain heterogeneous reaction rates on soot particles in a plume model. Upper limit values are obtained for the product of the reactive uptake coefficients of O 3 and NO 2 and the mean surface area of individual soot particles using the model and the well‐established O 3 ‐N 2 O correlation in the lower stratosphere. The low reactivity value obtained for O 3 implies that soot reactions cannot account for ozone trends in the lower stratosphere.