The narrow clouds form when water vapor condenses around tiny particles of pollution.
Published Mar 8, 2012
Summer is the time for ship tracks—especially off the west coast of North America.
Published Sep 3, 2018
Ship tracks are a common atmospheric occurrence. Scientists are now combining machine learning and satellites to detect them automatically.
Published Jul 3, 2019Image of the Day Atmosphere Water Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
Under the right environmental conditions, pollution from ships can make long, bright tracks amidst the clouds.
Published Jan 21, 2018
Ship emissions in the southeast Atlantic help create more reflective clouds that produce a local cooling effect.
Published Jun 9, 2020
Serpentine clouds crossed tracks in the eastern Pacific Ocean in mid-January 2013.
Published Jan 20, 2013
Scientists investigate how clouds respond to ship plumes.
Published Aug 29, 2015
Sediment plumes reveal busy shipping lanes leading toward ports in northern China.
Published Mar 6, 2015
Exhaust creates cloud lines that trace the curved trajectories of ships.
Published Jun 16, 2019
In recent years, scientists have turned their attention to the ways in which human-produced aerosol pollution modifies clouds.
Published May 14, 2002
Scientists from NASA are cruising on a research vessel from Tasmania to Tahiti by way of the Southern Ocean. Their objective: gather detailed measurements of Pacific sea water that will be used to validate satellite measurements
Published Apr 5, 2014
Ship-breaking operations along the coast of Bangladesh recycle old vessels into raw steel and marine supplies.
Published Sep 28, 2014
With most lockdowns ending and economic activity resuming, levels of the air pollutant have returned to near normal for this time of year.
Published May 22, 2020Image of the Day Atmosphere Life Dust and Haze Human Presence Remote Sensing
Ships and islands contributed to an intricate cloud pattern over the northern Pacific Ocean in April 2013.
Published May 5, 2013
