Kuwait Oil Fires: Correction

Abstract

In our article "Airborne studies of the smoke from the Kuwait oil fires" (15 May, p. 987) ( 1 ), we stated that the depletions of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ) in the smoke plume from the Kuwait oil fires were 50 and 60% per hour, respectively. These values were derived from measurements made aboard a Convair C-131 aircraft, and measurements of CO 2 were used as a conserved tracer. Subsequent comparisons of these measurements of CO 2 (which were obtained from a continuous analyzer) with independent measurements of CO 2 (obtained from "grab" samples) revealed that the continuous CO 2 measurements were occasionally contaminated by cabin air. Recalculation of the depletion rates of SO 2 and NO x with the use of uncontaminated measurements of CO 2 from the "grab" sampler aboard the aircraft yielded values of 6 and 22%, respectively ( 2 ). Our conclusions with regard to the climatic effects of the Kuwait oil fires are unchanged.