Articles | Volume 26, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1053-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1053-2026
Research article
 | 
22 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 22 Jan 2026

Simulation of a contrail formation and early life cycle for a realistic airliner geometry

Younes Bouhafid and Nicolas Bonne

Cited articles

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Bouhafid, Y., Bonne, N., and Jacquin, L.: Combined Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes/Large-Eddy Simulations for an aircraft wake until dissipation regime, Aerospace Science and Technology, 154, 109512, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2024.109512, 2024. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m
Castro, H. G. and Paz, R. R.: A time and space correlated turbulence synthesis method for large eddy simulations, Journal of Computational Physics, 235, 742–763, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2012.10.035, 2013. a
Cho, J. Y. and Lindborg, E.: Horizontal velocity structure functions in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere: 1. Observations, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 106, 10223–10232, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JD900814, 2001. a
Churchfield, M. J. and Blaisdell, G. A.: Numerical simulations of a wingtip vortex in the near field, Journal of Aircraft, 46, 230–243, https://doi.org/10.2514/1.38086, 2009. a
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Short summary
Aircraft contrails may warm Earth's climate twice as much as CO₂, but their exact impact is uncertain. We developed a new computer model showing how plane structures create air swirls that make contrails wider and denser than thought. These thicker contrails likely trap more heat. Our findings help improve climate predictions and guide aircraft designs to reduce aviation's warming effects.
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