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Do jet contrails affect weather?
The wispy ice clouds formed by jet exhaust help trap heat near the Earth’s surface. But small changes in altitude can dampen the effect, a study says.
Can contrails predict weather?
The nature and persistence of jet contrails can be used to predict the weather. A thin, short-lived contrail indicates low-humidity air at high altitude, a sign of fair weather, whereas a thick, long-lasting contrail reflects humid air at high altitudes and can be an early indicator of a storm.
How do contrails affect local weather?
They found that contrails depress the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures, typically decreasing the maximum temperature and raising the minimum temperature. In this respect, the contrail clouds mimic the effect of ordinary clouds.
Do contrails make it rain?
By gregladen on November 16, 2012. In short, it is possible that when an air plane flies through a cloud that is just floating there minding its own business, the plane can cause the cloud to start precipitating, letting out rain or snow. …
How long do contrails last?
Persistent contrails can last for hours while growing to sev- eral kilometers in width and 200 to 400 meters in height. Contrails spread because of air turbulence created by the pas- sage of aircraft, differences in wind speed along the flight track, and possibly through effects of solar heating.
How are contrails helping to make the planet warmer?
While CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere and has a long-lasting effect, contrails last a matter of hours at most, and their warming impact is temporary. Like regular cirrus clouds, contrail clouds trap heat radiating from the earth’s surface, causing warming in the air below. Contrails are human-made clouds.
What causes a contrail to form behind a jet?
A contrail will form behind a jet if, as exhaust gases cool and mix with surrounding air, the humidity is high enough and the temperature low enough for liquid water to condense.
When do aeroplane contrails trap the most heat?
According to a January paper in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the troublemakers are mostly flights that take off in the late afternoon and early evening, whose contrails live mostly during the night—when they still trap some heat but can’t deflect any sunshine (which can balance out their impact).
How does the contrail effect affect the Earth?
This is of particular concern in well-traveled air corridors, where contrails by the hundreds can spread into man-made cirrus clouds that can both block sunlight from reaching the Earth and trap radiated heat from escaping to space.