 Courtesy Jasmic |
Study by the DLR German Aerospace Center
Aircraft condensation trails criss-crossing the sky may be warming the planet on a normal day more than the carbon dioxide emitted by all planes since the Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903, a study said on Tuesday.The findings may help governments fix penalties on planes’ greenhouse gas emissions in a U.N.-led assault on climate change. Or new engines might be designed to limit Vapor and instead spit out water drops or ice that fall from the sky.
The main climate effect of white lines and related cirrus clouds is to trap heat radiating back from the Earth’s surface. They also have a smaller, counter-effect by slightly dimming sunlight and so slowing warming. Contrails are especially dense over parts of Europe and eastern United States.
The findings might bring changes in air traffic control, for instance diverting planes from regions or altitudes where air moisture was high and favored cirrus formation.
The U.N. panel of climate scientists has estimated that fuel burned at altitude is roughly twice as damaging for the climate as when used at ground level.
Are airline lobbyists more powerful than a U.N.-led assault on climate change?
No comments:
Post a Comment