| The condensation trail left behind jet aircrafts are called contrails. Contrails form when hot humid air from jet exhaust mixes with environmental air of low vapor pressure and low temperature. The mixing is a result of turbulence generated by the engine exhaust. Cloud formation by a mixing process is similar to the cloud you see when you exhale and "see your breath". Below are some Pictures I took right out here of tonights CONTRAILS. |
The enhanced infrared image above, showing a profusion of contrails over the southeastern U.S., was
captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), aboard NASA’s Terra
satellite on January 29, 2004. The contrails are the crisscrossing white lines that form from jet aircraft
exhaust (commercial and military) flying in different directions and at different altitudes. These contrails
move with the winds at upper levels of the troposphere and spread or expand as a result of both wind
conditions and moisture availability -- when the atmosphere is dry, the contrails are short-lived.
captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), aboard NASA’s Terra
satellite on January 29, 2004. The contrails are the crisscrossing white lines that form from jet aircraft
exhaust (commercial and military) flying in different directions and at different altitudes. These contrails
move with the winds at upper levels of the troposphere and spread or expand as a result of both wind
conditions and moisture availability -- when the atmosphere is dry, the contrails are short-lived.
| Scientists at NASA's Langley Research Center have found that cirrus clouds, formed by contrails from jet engine exhaust, are capable of increasing average surface temperatures enough to account for the warming, which has occurred in the U.S. between 1975 and 1994. It's estimated that there has been a one percent per decade increase in cirrus cloud cover over the United States, during the past several decades -- likely due to increased air traffic. Cirrus clouds allow most of the Sun's visible light to pass through them but then trap some of the resulting heat emitted by the surface and lower atmosphere. |
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