6533b7d7fe1ef96bd1267b32
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Airborne Measurements of Contrail Ice Properties—Dependence on Temperature and Humidity
Christiane VoigtChristiane VoigtMonika ScheibeHans SchlagerBruce E. AndersonJohn B. NowakRichard H. MooreDaniel SauerGlenn S. DiskinJ. P. DigangiValerian HahnStefan H. E. KaufmannFelix HuberTiziana Bräuersubject
ExtinktionLead (sea ice)HumidityAtmospheric sciencesGeophysicsAltitudeSchmidt-ApplemanExtinction (optical mineralogy)Threshold temperatureGeneral Earth and Planetary SciencesEnvironmental scienceParticleCirrusMessungenLaserspektrometrieSoot particlesKondensstreifendescription
The largest share in the climate impact of aviation results from cirrus clouds. Here, the dependence of microphysical contrail ice properties and extinction on temperature and humidity is investigated. Contrail measurements were performed at various altitudes during the 2018 ECLIF II/NDMAX campaign with the NASA DC-8 chasing the DLR A320. Ice number concentrations and contrail extinction coefficients are largest at altitudes near 9.5 km, typical for short- and medium-range air traffic. At higher altitudes near 11.5 km, low ambient water vapor concentrations lead to smaller contrail particle sizes and lower extinction coefficients. In addition, contrails were detected below 8.2 km near the Schmidt-Appleman contrail formation threshold temperature. Here, only a small fraction (<15%) of the emitted soot particles were activated into ice. Our observations enhance the understanding of contrail formation near the formation threshold and give a glimpse on the altitude dependence of climate-relevant contrail properties.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-04-28 | Geophysical Research Letters |