Images related to The Evolution of a Contrail

Criss-Crossing Contrails
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Criss-Crossing Contrails

When viewed from space, clusters of airplane contrails make distinctive geometrical patterns. Scientists are using satellite detections of contrails to sort out how the long, narrow cirrus clouds impact our climate system.

Published Feb 21, 2013

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Cirrus Clouds off the Coast of Chile
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Cirrus Clouds off the Coast of Chile

A striking display of high-altitude clouds over the Pacific Ocean are clearly cirrus, but further classification remains elusive.

Published May 29, 2015

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A Slice of Cirrus
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A Slice of Cirrus

A vertical profile of wispy, icy clouds reveals their complex structure.

Published Jul 15, 2015

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Invisible Cirrus Clouds
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Invisible Cirrus Clouds

Published Jan 16, 2002

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Aircraft Contrails
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Aircraft Contrails

NASA scientists have found that cirrus clouds, formed by contrails from aircraft engine exhaust, are capable of increasing average surface temperatures enough to account for a warming trend in the United States that occurred between 1975 and 1994.

Published Apr 28, 2004

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Curvy Contrails
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Curvy Contrails

An aircraft sketched designs in the sky over Florida and Georgia.

Published Dec 20, 2017

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Contrails Over the Gulf of California
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Contrails Over the Gulf of California

The corridor between the United States and Mexico is a fairly busy one for air traffic—heavy enough to produce plenty of contrails, but not so much that they all blend together.

Published May 14, 2019

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Calling All Cloud-Loving Citizen Scientists
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Calling All Cloud-Loving Citizen Scientists

With just a few clicks of a camera and a mouse, you can contribute to research that will help atmospheric scientists better understand how clouds affect climate.

Published Nov 5, 2014

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New Landsat Finds Clouds Hiding in Plain Sight
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New Landsat Finds Clouds Hiding in Plain Sight

One of LDCM’s sensors can detect faint cirrus clouds that can slightly alter a scene.

Published May 24, 2013

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Wispy Clouds Before the Storm
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Wispy Clouds Before the Storm

Transverse cirrus clouds may look benign, but they are often associated with intense weather.

Published Jun 19, 2019

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