What is the difference between clouds and contrails?

Thus, the main difference between a persistent spreading contrail and a cirrus cloud is the source of their nuclei. Clouds get the nuclei needed for formation from ambient aerosols, while persistent spreading contrails get the required nuclei from aerotrails.

Do contrails move?

Because contrails are formed at high altitudes where the winds are usually very strong, they will often move away from the point where they originated. When looking up into the sky you can frequently see older persistent contrails that formed many miles away but moved into view because of the wind.

Why do airplanes make contrails and how can you use contrails to predict weather?

They found that contrails depress the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures, typically decreasing the maximum temperature and raising the minimum temperature. In this respect, the contrail clouds mimic the effect of ordinary clouds.

How are contrails similar to clouds?

These lines are not smoke or natural clouds; they are contrails produced by aircraft. Contrails form because water vapor from jet engine exhaust passes through a cold and humid part of the air at high altitudes. The condensation is visible from the ground, appearing to look like pencil thin lines of ‘cloud.

Are contrails made of cumulus clouds?

Those that do are called cumulus clouds. They are formed as warm, moist air rises and cools to the condensation point. If condensation (conversion from a gas to a liquid) occurs, then a contrail becomes visible.

Do contrails affect weather?

Called contrails, those narrow clouds can vanish within minutes or last for days. Like other clouds, long-lasting contrails can trap heat in the atmosphere. Scientists have found in the last year or two that these contrails can boost the warming of Earth’s atmosphere.

What do airplane contrails tell us?

The nature and persistence of jet contrails can be used to predict the weather. A thin, short-lived contrail indicates low-humidity air at high altitude, a sign of fair weather, whereas a thick, long-lasting contrail reflects humid air at high altitudes and can be an early indicator of a storm.