Articles | Volume 24, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5495-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5495-2024
Research article
 | 
14 May 2024
Research article |  | 14 May 2024

Variability in the properties of the distribution of the relative humidity with respect to ice: implications for contrail formation

Sidiki Sanogo, Olivier Boucher, Nicolas Bellouin, Audran Borella, Kevin Wolf, and Susanne Rohs

Related authors

Modeling the Coupled and Decoupled states of PolarBoundary-Layer Mixed-Phase Clouds
Étienne Vignon, Lea Raillard, Audran Borella, Gwendal Rivière, and Jean-Baptiste Madeleine
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4641,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4641, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
An evolving Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 7 (CMIP7) and Fast Track in support of future climate assessment
John P. Dunne, Helene T. Hewitt, Julie M. Arblaster, Frédéric Bonou, Olivier Boucher, Tereza Cavazos, Beth Dingley, Paul J. Durack, Birgit Hassler, Martin Juckes, Tomoki Miyakawa, Matt Mizielinski, Vaishali Naik, Zebedee Nicholls, Eleanor O'Rourke, Robert Pincus, Benjamin M. Sanderson, Isla R. Simpson, and Karl E. Taylor
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 6671–6700, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6671-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6671-2025, 2025
Short summary
Hemispheric differences in ozone across the stratosphere–troposphere exchange region
Rodrigo J. Seguel, Charlie Opazo, Yann Cohen, Owen R. Cooper, Laura Gallardo, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, Florian Obersteiner, Andreas Zahn, Peter Hoor, Susanne Rohs, and Andreas Marsing
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8553–8573, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8553-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8553-2025, 2025
Short summary
Impact of stratiform liquid water clouds on vegetation albedo quantified by coupling an atmosphere and a vegetation radiative transfer model
Kevin Wolf, Evelyn Jäkel, André Ehrlich, Michael Schäfer, Hannes Feilhauer, Andreas Huth, Alexandra Weigelt, and Manfred Wendisch
Biogeosciences, 22, 2909–2933, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2909-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2909-2025, 2025
Short summary
Evaluation of O3, H2O, CO, and NOy climatologies simulated by four global models in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere with IAGOS measurements
Yann Cohen, Didier Hauglustaine, Nicolas Bellouin, Marianne Tronstad Lund, Sigrun Matthes, Agnieszka Skowron, Robin Thor, Ulrich Bundke, Andreas Petzold, Susanne Rohs, Valérie Thouret, Andreas Zahn, and Helmut Ziereis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5793–5836, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5793-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5793-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Appleman, H.: The formation of exhaust condensation trails by jet aircraft, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 34, 14–20, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477-34.1.14, 1953. a, b
Beswick, K., Baumgardner, D., Gallagher, M., Raga, G. B., Minnis, P., Spangenberg, D. A., Volz-Thomas, A., Nedelec, P., and Wang, K.-Y.: Properties of small cirrus ice crystals from commercial aircraft measurements and implications for flight operations, Tellus B, 67, 27876, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v67.27876, 2015. a
Bickel, M.: Climate impact of contrail cirrus, DLR-Forschungsbericht DLR-FB-2023-14, Dissertation, PhD thesis, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, p. 133, https://doi.org/10.57676/mzmg-r403, 2023. a
Boulanger, D., Thouret, V., and Petzold, A.: IAGOS Data Portal, AERIS [data set], https://doi.org/10.25326/20, 2020. a
Dekoutsidis, G., Groß, S., Wirth, M., Krämer, M., and Rolf, C.: Characteristics of supersaturation in midlatitude cirrus clouds and their adjacent cloud-free air, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3103–3117, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3103-2023, 2023. a
Download
Short summary
Relative humidity relative to ice (RHi) is a key variable in the formation of cirrus clouds and contrails. This study shows that the properties of the probability density function of RHi differ between the tropics and higher latitudes. In line with RHi and temperature variability, aircraft are likely to produce more contrails with bioethanol and liquid hydrogen as fuel. The impact of this fuel change decreases with decreasing pressure levels but increases from high latitudes to the tropics.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint