Insolation Reduction by Contrails

Reinking, Roger F.

doi:10.1002/j.1477-8696.1968.tb07369.x

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The ease of identification of contrails and their persistence prompted early investigations of the potential radiative, and hence climatological, impact of aircraft condensation trails (Reinking 1968;Kuhn 1970). However, estimation of the amount of sky covered is difficult.…”

Section: Surface-based Observations Of Clouds This Centurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Continental cloudiness changes this century

Henderson‐Sellers

1992

GeoJournal

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Surface-based Observations of total cloud amount have been collected from historical records for four continents: North America, Europe, India and Australia. The records extend from 1900 to around 1985. Of the 350 individual station records investigated worldwide, 86% show an increase in total cloud amount or no change. In all four continents there is evidence of an increase in total cloud amount. This upward trend appears to be statistically significant for at least two regions: North America and Australia. For North America this finding is corroborated by other recent studies.

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Section: Surface-based Observations Of Clouds This Centurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Continental cloudiness changes this century

Henderson‐Sellers

1992

GeoJournal

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“…Early studies expected a regional surface cooling from contrails (Reinking, 1968). Later, a hemispheric atmosphere warming by contrails was derived from models (Liou et al, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of surface temperature to radiative forcing by contrail cirrus in a radiative-mixing model

Schumann

Mayer²

2017

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. Earth's surface temperature sensitivity to radiative forcing (RF) by contrail cirrus and the related RF efficacy relative to CO 2 are investigated in a one-dimensional idealized model of the atmosphere. The model includes energy transport by shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) radiation and by mixing in an otherwise fixed reference atmosphere (no other feedbacks). Mixing includes convective adjustment and turbulent diffusion, where the latter is related to the vertical component of mixing by large-scale eddies. The conceptual study shows that the surface temperature sensitivity to given contrail RF depends strongly on the timescales of energy transport by mixing and radiation. The timescales are derived for steady layered heating (ghost forcing) and for a transient contrail cirrus case. The radiative timescales are shortest at the surface and shorter in the troposphere than in the midstratosphere. Without mixing, a large part of the energy induced into the upper troposphere by radiation due to contrails or similar disturbances gets lost to space before it can contribute to surface warming. Because of the different radiative forcing at the surface and at top of atmosphere (TOA) and different radiative heating rate profiles in the troposphere, the local surface temperature sensitivity to stratosphere-adjusted RF is larger for SW than for LW contrail forcing. Without mixing, the surface energy budget is more important for surface warming than the TOA budget. Hence, surface warming by contrails is smaller than suggested by the net RF at TOA. For zero mixing, cooling by contrails cannot be excluded. This may in part explain low efficacy values for contrails found in previous global circulation model studies. Possible implications of this study are discussed. Since the results of this study are model dependent, they should be tested with a comprehensive climate model in the future.

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“…Early case studies by atmospheric physicists (e.g., Reinking 1968;Kuhn 1970) showed wide variations in radiative forcing according to contrail thickness and diurnal period, predominantly cooling in the daytime (from the contrail albedo-shortwave reflectance-attribute) and some warming at night, from the "greenhouse effect" of contrails (Mims and Travis 1997;Myhre and Stordal 2001). These radiative attributes are most characteristic of relatively young line-shaped contrails (Meyer et al 2002) that are horizontally narrow and vertically thick.…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%