Contrails form when hot, humid aircraft exhaust meets cold, humid air at high altitudes, creating ice crystals that can persist and spread into larger cirrus-like clouds. These « induced-cirrus », as they are called, affect Earth’s radiation balance—both warming the planet by trapping heat and cooling it by reflecting sunlight—depending on their lifespan, coverage, and atmospheric conditions.

Latest studies have estimated that the radiative forcing of contrails is twice that of the carbon dioxide emitted by the aviation. As a minority of flights is responsible for the majority of the contrail impact, researchers and the aviation industry see a potential to decrease the overall climate impact of aviation by rerouting flights to avoid creating warming contrails.

However, uncertainties still persist at the different stages of the modelling, from the microphysics, to the evolution of these contrails to induced-cirrus and their efficacy in warming the climate. Therefore, accurately modelling their behaviour is crucial for refining climate projections and shaping sustainable aviation policies.

Dr Ulrike Burkhardt, German Aerospace Center, Institute of Atmospheric Physics (DLR).

Lieu
Sorbonne Université – Campus Pierre et Marie Curie
4, place Jussieu 75005 Paris
LATMOS, tour 45-46, 4e étage, salle 411

Visio
https://cnrs.zoom.us/j/93541651338?pwd=2q8u3aAJ49UTstNLM2POPwiKYwRSzG.1

Le séminaire se tiendra à Jussieu, dans la grande salle du LATMOS, tour 45-46, salle 411. Il y aura la possibilité de rejoindre en visio.