Jet contrails may cool the planet by day and warm it by night
Aircraft contrails seem to have a net cooling effect in the daytime
Richard Newstead/Getty Images
Taking a day flight could be a swift way to limit the climate impact of a holiday, as new research suggests vapour trails produced by jets can cool the planet during the daytime.
Soot particles emitted by jet engines can trigger the formation of ice crystals, causing a condensation trail that can spread and last for hours. These persistent contrails, as they are known, help to reflect solar radiation back to space, which has a cooling effect. But they also block heat from escaping from…
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