What are Airplane Contrails?
Contrails, or condensation trails, are trails of visible cloud-like mist left by aircraft engines as they fly through the air. They’re made up of tiny ice crystals and are made visible by the presence of water vapor in the atmosphere.
Contrails were initially observed by pilots during the First World War, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that research into contrails was conducted and the phenomenon began to be understood. The term ‘contrail’ is a combination of the words ‘condensation’ and ‘trail’, which hints at their nature.
How Do Airplane Contrails Form?
The process by which airplane contrails form is complex and fascinating. Contrails form when hot, humid exhaust from an aircraft engine mixes with the atmosphere. The exhaust contains tiny particles of ice, water vapor and carbon dioxide, which combine with the atmosphere to form clouds.
The atmosphere is chilly at high altitudes and the exhaust vapor cools and condenses, creating tiny ice crystals that rapidly evaporate. The ice crystals reflect light and make contrails visible from the ground.
Contrail Formation Conditions
The formation of contrails requires certain meteorological conditions. The exhaust from aircraft engines must mix with humid air, typically at altitudes of over 5,000 meters. At these heights, temperatures are usually below -50 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing the vapor to quickly condense and form a contrail.
When temperatures are warmer, the contrail will evaporate more quickly and may disappear completely. This means contrails are more likely to form during the winter months.
Types of Airplane Contrails
There are three main types of contrails: persistent contrails, spreading contrails and spreading cirrus cloud trails.
Persistent contrails form when the air is cold and humid, and they remain visible long after they are created. This happens when the exhaust vapor rapidly cools and forms ice crystals that do not evaporate. Persistent contrails have been linked to increases in cirrus cloud coverage, resulting in a net warming effect on the Earth’s climate.
Spreading contrails form under similar conditions but, as the name suggests, gradually spread out in different directions. This creates broad circles of visible cloud trails.
Spreading cirrus cloud trails, also known as contrail cirrus, occur when the exhaust from aircraft engines combines with humidity in the atmosphere to form a layer of high-altitude clouds. These clouds can linger for up to 24 hours, often creating a white veil on the sky.
Effects of Airplane Contrails
Airplane contrails have a number of effects on the environment and climate. The most significant of these are detailed below:
Climate Change: Contrails are thought to have an effect on climate change due to their ability to trap heat in clouds. They also act as an additional source of pollution by emitting particles into the atmosphere, which have been linked to warmer global temperatures.
Water Resources: Contrails can reduce the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface, leading to changes in water availability. This is because contrails cause reflectivity that radiates heat back into the atmosphere, instead of warming the ground. Areas affected by this are particularly vulnerable to drought.
Air Quality: Contrails can cause high levels of pollutants in areas near airports due to the exhaust vapor from aircraft engines. Keeping contrail formation to a minimum is imperative in order to protect air quality.
Visible Light: Contrails can act as a form of visible light pollution, impairing views of the night sky in places close to airports. This effect is most pronounced in areas that experience low levels of light pollution, such as regions with limited urban infrastructure.
Reducing Airplane Contrails
Given the effects of airplane contrails on the environment and climate, it is important to keep these emissions to a minimum.
Methods of reducing contrails include:
• Optimizing aircraft design: Modern aircraft design can reduce the number of contrails produced, by controlling the fuel burn of engines and managing the temperatures in the exhaust.
• Re-routing aircraft: Planes can be re-routed to fly at lower altitudes, where temperatures are higher and contrails are less likely to form.
• Modifying fuel formulations: Different fuel formulations can reduce the formation of particular pollutants in the exhaust, resulting in fewer contrails.
• Regulating emissions: Regulating air emissions from airplanes can help to keep the creation of contrails to a minimum.
Contrails are unmistakable signatures of air travel, with their visible clouds often standing out against the blue sky. Understanding contrails and their effects on the environment and climate is important in order to reduce their creation and maximize their environmental benefits. With optimum aircraft design and aircraft routing, as well as improved fuel formulations and regulated emissions, aircraft contrails can be kept to a minimum.
