Skip to comments.
Aircraft vapour trails 'could cause global warming'
Breaking News ^
| 29/04/2004
Posted on 04/29/2004 12:39:18 PM PDT by presidio9
Cloud-like white trails left by aircraft may be playing a significant role in global warming, a scientist said today.
The exhaust plumes contain carbon dioxide and chemicals which can lead to the production of ozone which creates smog.
At the same time, the vapour trails, in the right conditions, can form feathery cirrus clouds which warm the surface of the Earths by trapping heat.
Patrick Minnis, of the USAs National Aeronautics and Space Administrations Langley Research Center in Virginia, studied how the average temperature of the US increased by one degree from 1975 to 1994.
While acknowledging that it was difficult to tell exactly how much of the warming was due to vapour trails, he said their contribution was significant.
Dr Minnis found that as air traffic in the US rose by more than 500% from 1970 to 1995, the number of cirrus clouds in the sky also increased.
Until now scientists have been unable to say whether they increased for natural reasons or because of aircraft.
According to the Minnis study the conditions needed to create natural cirrus clouds did not become more common from the 1970s to the 1990s.
He concluded, therefore, that aeroplane vapour trails also known as contrails which are clouds of ice crystals mixed with exhaust gases, must be responsible.
Andrew Carleton, a climate expert at Pennsylvania State University, who was not involved in the study, said: It suggests we may be having a double whammy here.
He told the USA Today newspaper: Its not good news for the Earth when youve got greenhouse gas increases and youve got ... contrails (that) seem to warm the surface of the Earth.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: callingartbell; climatechange; conspiracy; contrails
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-99 next last
To: presidio9
Actually, the contrails have nothing to do with global warming. They have everything to do with mind control and the sapping of our precious body fluids.
21
posted on
04/29/2004 12:58:17 PM PDT
by
SpottedBeaver
(Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade? - Benjamin Franklin)
To: HEY4QDEMS
He always seemed to have an excess of post-digestive gas and would give it up freely.
To: BurbankKarl
Great post, BK. I wonder if these folks have considered that should their wishes come true, there will be no one to fetch their lattes?
23
posted on
04/29/2004 1:03:15 PM PDT
by
catpuppy
To: OXENinFLA
SOMEONE CALL ART BELL!!!! Art already thinks vapor trails are "chem trails".
"Somebody" (Lockheed, Alcoa or the like) has a patent on adding aluminum to jet fuel, which supposedly reflects the
Sun's rays and alleviates some of the global warming.
I think he was also claiming the idea goes back to Edward Teller.
The "chem trails" are also used for nefarious purposes too...
To: presidio9
The exhaust plumes contain carbon dioxide and chemicals which can lead to the production of ozone Since the enviros are also worried about ozone depletion over Antarctica the solution is obvious - require every flight to take the southern polar route. Ozone is generated, the hole is filled, Gaia will smile upon us, and we can all burst into a chorus of I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing.
25
posted on
04/29/2004 1:04:39 PM PDT
by
Denver Ditdat
(Johhny Fake Terrors - an anagram of Senator John F. Kerry)
To: onedoug
True. And you know about wind, right? Wind is caused by all o' them trees swaying back and forth. Check it out for yoursel; if the trees don't sway I can guarantee you won't get any wind.
Pseudo-scientist rant off
To: presidio9
Dr Minnis found that as air traffic in the US rose by more than 500% from 1970 to 1995, the number of cirrus clouds in the sky also increased. Until now scientists have been unable to say whether they increased for natural reasons or because of aircraft.
According to the Minnis study the conditions needed to create natural cirrus clouds did not become more common from the 1970s to the 1990s.
He concluded, therefore, that aeroplane vapour trails also known as contrails which are clouds of ice crystals mixed with exhaust gases, must be responsible.
For the love of Pete. Well, at least it's a good example of how NOT to do science.
27
posted on
04/29/2004 1:08:14 PM PDT
by
FourPeas
(We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by. - Will Rogers)
To: presidio9
They don't lend themselves very well to the reality of Westerns either.
IIRC, there was an episode of "The Big Valley" sometime abt. 1968 where "Buck", "Heath", and "Victoria" were standing at a fence with a long, faint contrail crossing behind them in the distant sky.
28
posted on
04/29/2004 1:08:50 PM PDT
by
azhenfud
("He who is always looking up seldom finds others' lost change...")
To: Eric in the Ozarks
Every time my father in-law does that, I beat our dog.
To: OXENinFLA
THE CHEMTRAILS ARE CAUSING GLOBAL WARMING! (lol)
To: threat matrix
Pick up a copy of "The Cooling," by Lowell Ponte, 1976. Its out of print but Amazon has 30 used copies available at $3.75. It makes for a good laff and would make a great gift to a Liberal friend.
To: presidio9
The exhaust plumes contain carbon dioxide and chemicals which can lead to the production of ozone which creates smog.First the greenies complain about the destruction of ozone, forcing a ban of all CFCs, despite the fact that doing so resulted in great losses to the economy, potential losses to human life (e.g., halon-based aircraft fire suppression systems), and losses to the environment itself (replacement refrigerants, for example, are less efficient thus requiring more energy use).
Now they are complaining about the creation of ozone.
Well, which is it? You can't have it both ways.
32
posted on
04/29/2004 1:17:08 PM PDT
by
SpyGuy
To: FourPeas
Sorry, it's perfectly valid science. They did a study of the days after 9/11, based on archived sat pics, and the cirrus cover was much, much lower than the current "normal."
It's blatantly obvious to anyone who spends any amount of looking at the sky that contrails cause cirrus clouds.
33
posted on
04/29/2004 1:17:09 PM PDT
by
John H K
To: Calvin Locke
no no no not aluminum - barium
34
posted on
04/29/2004 1:18:16 PM PDT
by
joesnuffy
(Moderate Islam Is For Dilettantes)
To: SpyGuy
Yes, you CAN have it both ways.
Ozone in the stratosphere is good.
Ozone in the troposphere (everything lower than the stratosphere) is bad.
Not complicated, pretty well understood by science.
35
posted on
04/29/2004 1:18:37 PM PDT
by
John H K
To: presidio9
A beef and bean burrito is a more likely cause of global warming.
36
posted on
04/29/2004 1:19:10 PM PDT
by
Redcloak
(Have you hugged your tagline today?)
To: John H K
"
It's blatantly obvious to anyone who spends any amount of looking at the sky that contrails cause cirrus clouds."
And how about the planes that don't leave contrails? Do they cause clear skies?? ;-)
37
posted on
04/29/2004 1:20:26 PM PDT
by
azhenfud
("He who is always looking up seldom finds others' lost change...")
To: presidio9
I would have guessed that most of the global warming was caused by the hot air belched out by junk scientists
38
posted on
04/29/2004 1:20:33 PM PDT
by
clamper1797
(Conservative by nature ... Republican in Spirit ... Patriot by Heart ... and Anti Liberal BY GOD)
To: John H K
So what? Man is part of the environment, deal with it!
39
posted on
04/29/2004 1:21:24 PM PDT
by
dfwgator
To: BurbankKarl
I suspect that eradicating smallpox was wrong. It played an important part in balancing ecosystems. John Davis, editor of Earth First! JournalOh, that's a particularly good one. I woner how the Leftists would feel if that statement was "tweaked" slightly:
I suspect that attempting to eradicate AIDS is wrong. It plays an important part in balancing ecosystems.
40
posted on
04/29/2004 1:22:12 PM PDT
by
SpyGuy
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-99 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson