Articles | Volume 25, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5911-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5911-2025
Research article
 | 
12 Jun 2025
Research article |  | 12 Jun 2025

Influence of temperature and humidity on contrail formation regions in the general circulation model EMAC: a spring case study

Patrick Peter, Sigrun Matthes, Christine Frömming, Patrick Jöckel, Luca Bugliaro, Andreas Giez, Martina Krämer, and Volker Grewe

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Cited articles

Bange, J., Esposito, M., Lenschow, D. H., Brown, P. R. A., Dreiling, V., Giez, A., Mahrt, L., Malinowski, S. P., Rodi, A. R., Shaw, R. A., Siebert, H., Smit, H., and Zöger, M.: Measurement of Aircraft State and Thermodynamic and Dynamic Variables, Chap. 2, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 7–75, ISBN 9783527653218, https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527653218.ch2, 2013. a
Brinkop, S., Dameris, M., Jöckel, P., Garny, H., Lossow, S., and Stiller, G.: The millennium water vapour drop in chemistry–climate model simulations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8125–8140, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8125-2016, 2016. a, b
Burkhardt, U. and Kärcher, B.: Process-based simulation of contrail cirrus in a global climate model, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D16201, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008jd011491, 2009. a
Burkhardt, U., Kärcher, B., Ponater, M., Gierens, K., and Gettelman, A.: Contrail cirrus supporting areas in model and observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L16808, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008gl034056, 2008. a, b
Charlesworth, E., Plöger, F., Birner, T., Baikhadzhaev, R., Ábalos, M., Abraham, N. L., Akiyoshi, H., Bekki, S., Dennison, F., Jöckel, P., Keeble, J., Kinnison, D. E., Morgenstern, O., Plummer, D. A., Rozanov, E., Strode, S. A., Zeng, G., Egorova, T., and Riese, M.: Stratospheric water vapor affecting atmospheric circulation, Nat. Commun., 14, 3925, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39559-2, 2023. a, b
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Our study examines how well the global climate model EMAC (ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry) predicts contrail formation by analysing temperature and humidity – two key factors for contrail development and persistence. The model underestimates temperature, leading to an overprediction of contrail formation and larger ice-supersaturated regions. Adjusting the model improves temperature accuracy but adds uncertainties. Better predictions of contrail formation areas can help optimise flight tracks to reduce aviation's climate effect.
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