As he explained 24 Channelsreversal tracks are actually man-made clouds. They are formed during the flight of jet engines at high altitude. When hot water vapor, a byproduct of jet engine combustion, enters the cold upper atmosphere. This causes it to cool and condense rapidly, creating these cloud-like tracks.

Under what conditions do contrails form?

These cloud-like phenomena are most often seen behind airplanes at cruising altitude. 10,000 and 12,000 meters. However, not every flight leads to the formation of such tracks due to certain atmospheric conditions. Ideal conditions for contrail formation are: Combination of cold air and moisture in the upper layers of the troposphere.

Are contrails good or bad for the environment?

Contrails are essentially neutral; neither positive nor negative in nature. They are the result of a natural process only under certain conditions. But research shows that they can contribute to both warming and cooling of the Earth’s atmosphere.

At night, these traces may play a role in warming the atmosphere. When Earth experiences radiative cooling (heat radiates from the surface into space), plume-like clouds can trap that heat, causing temperatures to rise. At the same time, the potential effects of smoke trails on atmospheric conditions, particularly their similarity to cirrus clouds, raise concerns about their long-term impact on global temperature regulation.

Various tracks taken by photographer / Soumyadeep Mukherjee

Artificial “clouds” from airplanes, like natural clouds, join the Earth’s heat exchange system. Depending on their thickness and properties, clouds can reflect solar radiation back into space, contributing to cooling, or trapping radiation, causing warming. The transformation of long-lasting cumulus clouds into cirrus clouds, increasing the greenhouse effect and trapping heat causes an environmental concern.

Efforts are currently being made to reduce the potential impact of cumulus clouds on the climate. Joint research by NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) highlights that environmentally friendly aviation fuel is a promising solution to significantly reduce smoke trail formation.

Although smoke trails remain an interesting phenomenon and the subject of ongoing research, they are a reminder of the complex interplay between human activity and Earth’s fragile atmospheric balance. As our understanding of these footprints continues to evolve, scientists and researchers are trying to find sustainable solutions to coexist harmoniously with the sky.