Contrail Clutter over Georgia
Explanation:
Artificial clouds made by humans may become
so common they change the Earth's climate.
The long thin cloud streaks that dominate the
above satellite photograph of
Georgia are
contrails,
cirrus clouds created by airplanes.
The
exhaust of an airplane engine can create a
contrail by saturating the surrounding air with extra
moisture. The wings of a plane can similarly
create contrails
by dropping the temperature and causing small ice-crystals to form.
Contrails have become more than an oddity - they may be
significantly increasing the cloudiness of Earth,
reflecting sunlight back into space by day, and
heat radiation back to
Earth even at night.
The effect on climate is a topic of much
research.
You can
help
NASA measure the actual abundance of contrails by participating in a
contrail counting exercise that runs over the next two days.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
