Flights: Warning of longer-lived contrails 'throws a spanner in the works'

Modern aircraft are producing longer-lasting contrails that warm the planet faster than those created by older aircraft, presenting a "double whammy" for the aviation industry's carbon reduction efforts, scientists at Imperial College London have said. Contrails, short for condensation trails, are thin clouds formed from the water vapor produced by aircraft exhausts at high altitudes. Their cirrus-like formations, though visually pleasing to some, trap heat in Earth's atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect. Vehicles engineered for the higher altitudes of modern air travel mean each vapor trail lingers for longer. "It's common knowledge that flying is not good for the climate. However, most people do not appreciate that contrails and jet fuel carbon emissions cause a double whammy warming of the climate," lead author Edward Gryspeerdt said in a statement. He added, "This study throws a spanner in the works for the aviation industry." The study used machine learning to analyze satellite data on more than 64,000 contrails from a range of aircraft flying over the North Atlantic Ocean. It found that flights are inadvertently doing more harm by flying at higher altitudes to preserve fuel and produce less carbon per passenger. To reduce jet fuel consumption, modern aircraft are designed to fly at higher altitudes, where the air is thinner, with less aerodynamic drag.<br/>