Clipmarks | jetcloud's 'jetclouds' clips

contrail.gi.alaska.edu

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 04:23:33 GMT

clipped by: jetcloud
clipper's remarks: Condensation trails (contrails) formed by aircrafts are sometimes visible from the ground for several
hours. Numerous contrails are formed in the vicinity of main air- traffic routes; due to additional
spreading effects contrails may contribute significantly to the total cloud cover. Continuous
observational methods are used to study the formation of contrails in the subarctic setting of
Fairbanks, Alaska. Since March of 2000 a contrail database has been established, which includes
contrail characteristics, Federal Aviation Administration flight data, and atmospheric measurements
derived from radiosonde ascents at Fairbanks International Airport. The contrail analysis is based on
all-sky digital camera imagery and direct observations of aircrafts.

Daily Overflights for Fairbanks, AK airspace.

Note: Page was updated for the last time by Martin Stuefer, 13.Apr.2006.
The flight data is no longer being updated. However, the flight archive is available.
http://contrail.gi.al

Clip Source: contrail.gi.alaska.edu

On Oct 17th 2003, the United States Air Force conducted manuevers in the Fairbanks area that resulted in many spectacular contrails. The formations of jets ranged in number from 3 to 7 and some examples of the resulting contrails are shown below. Also shown is the output of the UAF Contrail Forecast based on atmospheric sounding measurements at Fairbanks Airport showing the contrail layer for that day.

Click on the image for larger view.
Photos taken October 17, 2003 by Martin Stuefer

Tags: aircraft, arctic, climate, climate change, cloud, contrails, global warming, jetclouds, north pole, spacejunk

September's Science: Shutdown of airlines aided contrail studies

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:50:06 GMT

clipped by: jetcloud
clipper's remarks:
Week of May 11, 2002; Vol. 161, No. 19 , p. 291
"Immediately after four hijacked airliners slammed into New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in southwestern Pennsylvania, the Federal Aviation Administration shut down all U.S. commercial air traffic for 3 days. The unprecedented grounding of airliners enabled airports to step up security measures. At the same time, scientists stepped up to a unique opportunity to study the influence of high-flying aircraft on Earth's climate."

Clip Source: www.sciencenews.org

One way that aircraft may affect climate is through their cloud like contrails, which appear behind jets flying at high altitude. Contrails are made of ice crystals that form within seconds around the small particles present in aircraft exhaust

the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, and the Northeast�areas of the country typically blanketed with aircraft contrails in mid-September�showed the largest changes in diurnal temperature range, mostly from increased daytime high temperatures. This bolsters the argument that contrails can significantly affect climate

Sept. 12, individual cloud trails of high-flying military aircraft stand out clearly in a nearly cloud-free region west of Washington, D.C. In just a few hours, six contrails�each of which started out a few meters wide�spread to cover more than 20,000 square kilometers.

Tags: 9/11, aircraft, climate change, cloud, contrails, jetclouds

IN REMEMBRANCE…

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:25:48 GMT

clipped by: jetcloud
clipper's remarks: I too, remember. And that one lone contrail - that one lone cloud over America. Up here in Canada, spaghetti jetclouds.

NoCloud:
http://www.pediascribe.com/sun.jpg

Cloud:
http://www.pediascribe.com/umbrella.jpg

Clip Source: www.pediascribe.com

I remember when I was a kid, my mom was able to recall exactly what she was doing when she heard that JFK had been shot.

And then 9/11 happened. And years have passed. And I can tell you exactly what I was doing when I heard the news.

After

It was late afternoon/early evening at that point. Still not a cloud in the sky. It was very eerie though because there also was not a contrail to be seen. Usually the skies are criss-crossed by them.

Then we saw it. The one lone contrail coming from the west and heading to the east.

To this day we maintain that it was Air Force One carrying President Bush back to the White House. It was about the right time, according to news reports, for it to have been the President’s plane.

And that, my friends, is how I came to understand how my mom could remember minute details about one day in her life. I understand now because I can do the same thing. As much as I want to forget those images burned into my brain, I also never want to forget.

Tags: climate, climate change, contrails, jetclouds, sun, cloud, rain