Contrails.org to use Aireon ADS-B data to study environmental impact of contrails
Contrails.org, a project at Breakthrough Energy, and its team of climate leaders and researchers, will use Aireon’s global automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) to bring new insights to aviation’s impact on the environment through contrails research.
Condensation trails (contrails) are created when soot and water vapor are emitted from an aircraft’s jet engines in a cold and humid atmosphere. For roughly five per cent of flights, contrails act as a potent greenhouse gas, trapping heat in the atmosphere, and are likely responsible for 1-2 per cent of all human-caused global warming. Managing these contrails is an important pathway for aviation to significantly reduce its climate impact in the next decade.
Contrails.org will use Aireon’s AireonINSIGHTS data to investigate the impact of different flight trajectories on contrail creation, and study performance of airlines who are trialing different flight trajectories and monitoring surrounding areas to minimise contrail formation. Â
