Articles | Volume 26, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3125-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3125-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
02 Mar 2026
Research article |
| 02 Mar 2026
| 02 Mar 2026
Contrail formation for aircraft with hydrogen combustion – Part 1: A systematic microphysical investigation
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Simon Unterstrasser
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Ulrike Burkhardt
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
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Short summary
The climate impact of aviation-induced contrail cirrus is strongly influenced by the number of ice crystals that form in an aircraft's exhaust plume. In this study, we systematically investigate the key microphysical processes of contrail formation for hydrogen combustion. A large simulation data set provides the basis for a data-driven parameterization of ice crystal number that can be integrated into large-scale models.
The climate impact of aviation-induced contrail cirrus is strongly influenced by the number of...
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