Those white vapor trails crisscrossing the sky carry a hidden climate price tag comparable to the damage from jet fuel itself. Research from Chalmers University of Technology reveals that aviation ...

Airlines have tamped down on carbon emissions by flying planes at higher altitudes. But this comes at a cost: the higher-flying aircraft are creating more contrails that last longer, worsening the ...

The white trails left by high-flying airplanes may be a pretty sight in a blue sky, but bomber crews dislike them for good reason: an airplane may look from the ground like an almost invisible speck, ...

According to an analysis, 25 percent of the global warming caused by contrails in European air traffic is attributable to ...

Four research figures show how contrails appear in two satellite views (left) and two photographs taken from the MIT Green Building. Aviation’s climate impact is partly due to contrails — condensation ...

Contrails are clouds made of ice particles, which can be created when airplanes fly through cold, humid air. Persistent contrails are estimated to have a warming climate impact. Flight tests will ...

Some contrails can contribute to global warming. Contrails—pure ice clouds (“cirrus”) that form from aircraft exhaust under specific cold conditions—can trap heat in the atmosphere, sometimes creating ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. If you’ve ever looked up at a mostly blue sky and seen straight ...

Contrails in the blue sky remind us of daily air traffic—and its impact on the climate. However, the effect of contrails on the climate is still only partially understood. It is assumed that they have ...

Contrails form when hot exhaust gas from an aircraft’s engine mixes with the cold air at an altitude of about 10 kilometres. In dry air, most contrails dissipate quickly. In cold, humid air, however, ...