Delta, MIT Work To Rid Skies Of Planet-Warming Contrails
The white clouds that form when airplanes streak by may be interesting to look at, but they aren’t doing the planet any favors. Now, Delta Airlines and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are working out new ways to tackle these persistent clouds – or contrails – which are known by researchers to trap heat from the Earth’s surface in the atmosphere, according to an article from Bloomberg.
Roughly 10% of all contrails create long-standing clouds, which reportedly have a more pronounced heating effect. A joint research group will use an MIT algorithm that predicts altitudes and locations where contrails are likely to form. Past simulations reportedly demonstrate that 70% to 90% of all contrails could be avoided through flight and altitude adjustments, immediately reducing aviation’s climate footprint.