Cutting Night Flights Could Reduce Global Warming
Reducing or eliminating commercial airline flights at night, and especially in winter, could help slow global warming by lowering greenhouse gas emissions caused by air traffic, according to a study by meteorologists at the University of Reading in southern England.
Photo courtesy of Matt Teague
Overall, aviation accounts for only about 2 percent of carbon dioxide emissions globally, according to the International Air Transport Association, but at high altitudes jet exhaust may cause a warming effect that is two or three times greater than that of carbon dioxide.
Contrails, trails of ice that condense when the hot exhaust from jet engines hits the cold air at high altitudes, can last in the atmosphere for hours and spread to cover thousands of square miles before they eventually dissipate. The icy contrails act like giant mirrors suspended in the sky. By reflecting the sun’s radiation, they cause some cooling, but they also block heat rising from the Earth’s surface, which contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming.
At night, the warming effect is magnified, because there is no reflective cooling effect to help counter it. And the problem becomes worse in winter, when cold, moist air is more likely to exist at all elevations. According to the researchers, contrails are almost twice as likely to form in winter than in summer.
The research study, which was reported in the journal Nature, found that night flights accounted for only 25 percent of the daily air traffic but contributed 60 percent to 80 percent of the warming caused by commercial aviation. At the same time, winter flights accounted for only 22 percent of the annual number of commercial flights, but they contributed half of the annual warming effect.
One reason regulators and environmentalists are particularly concerned about greenhouse gas emissions from jet airplanes, despite the relatively low level of carbon dioxide the planes produce, is that international commercial air travel is one of the world’s the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gases.
Joyce E. Penner, an atmosphere expert at the University of Michigan, told the Los Angeles Times. "If we control emissions from other sources and don't do something about aircraft, then in the future they are going to become a dominant source. Maybe there are ways to avoid such a high climate impact by scheduling different routings."
More information about the study:
Night flights are worse for global warming – (ABC Science News)
Reducing Night Flights May Ease Winter Global Warming, Report Says – (Los Angeles Times)
Airplane Contrails Boost Global Warming, Study Suggests – (National Geographic News)
More information about global warming:
What Causes Global Warming?
What Are Greenhouse Gases?
Are Levels of Greenhouse Gases Increasing?
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming
Comments
Dear Sir/Madam ,
I see the information from Gore isn`t fair .
People haven`t done the damadge.The people who deliver Nuclear Power,invented Aerosols ,Fly aircraft ,
Smoke ,Factory smoke are to blame .
People the cosumes are not o blame or frighten in this way .
What can hey do?..
Gore is talking to you like it`s your fault .
It isn`t .
It`s unfaiar to be spoken to this way .
To be informaed of a Earths Disasterous futre,yep.Like a horror movie or being told we`re not listening :No.
Every one knows about Gobal warming .Nobody knows thetrue facts aboutthe Gulf Stream and the cooling of the UK.
There should be a video containing
isses about the Gulf stream: not containg frightening information about what may happen in the future.Im sure a lot of people will understand that once have read about the Gulf stream and failing crops .
People aren`t stupiedand the video which is to be frightening shouldn`t e that way .
People I feel are being blamedd forthe Global disastes .
They are not .
Thye are consumes who have known nothing else as dam condiitoned to by You stupied lot .
Tke the Earth in your hands and you`ve killed it .
Oh:”We will reduce flights at night time ” .
IF YOU WISH TO HELP GLOBAL WARMING ,OR AT LEAST TRY! TO .THEN CUT THEM ALL .
STOP THE AEROSOLS .STOP THE SMOKE.THE FACORIES .HAVE DESIGNATED TIMES FORTV OR RADIO .
IF THIS IS SUCH AS CRISIS AS YOU SAY ,
THEN CUT THE CULPRITS SUCH AS THE AIRCRAFT /
fACT IS ,so called Gore informatinist .
Global warming will happen ,a disaster will happen .You will die .
The real people you should be talkingto arethe people who own the Aircraft companies ,Tv companies ,
Factory companies ,Car companies ,
Aerosol compaies ,Fridge companies to place a safety valve on for emissions,
Your Power is a childs toy :that`s all you`re intersted in and it will kill you .
Gore doesn`t have to educate any one .
People don`t need to be frigtend by a video .
Thank you .
Earth Person .
Friends with Nature
Ban Nuclear Fuel .
Dear Sir/Madam ,
I see the information from Gore isn`t fair .
People haven`t done the damadge.The people who deliver Nuclear Power,invented Aerosols ,Fly aircraft ,
Smoke ,Factory smoke are to blame .
People :the cosumes are not to blame or frighten in this way .
What can hey do?..
Gore is talking to you like it`s your fault .
It isn`t .
It`s unfaiar to be spoken to this way .
To be informaed of Earth`s Disasterous futre:yep.Like a horror movie or being told we`re not listening :No.
Every one knows about Global warming .Nobody knows the true facts :about the Gulf Stream and the cooling of the UK.
There should be a video containing
isses about the Gulf stream: not containg frightening information about what may happen in the future.I`m sure a lot of people will understand that once thye have read about the Gulf stream and failing crops .
People aren`t stupied : the video which is to be frightening shouldn`t be that way .
People I feel are being blamed for the Global disastes .
They are not .
The consumes are who have known nothing else : as dam condiitoned by You stupied lot to buy dam stupied Aerosols and buy a dirty car and fly to abroad some place .
Take the Earth in your hands and you`ve killed it .
Oh:”We will reduce flights at night time ” .
IF YOU WISH TO HELP GLOBAL WARMING ,OR AT LEAST TRY! TO .THEN CUT THEM ALL .
STOP THE AEROSOLS .STOP THE SMOKE.THE FACORIES .HAVE DESIGNATED TIMES FOR TV OR RADIO .
IF THIS IS SUCH AS CRISIS AS YOU SAY ,
THEN CUT THE CULPRITS SUCH AS THE AIRCRAFT /.
Can`t be such a crisis if you haven`t done .That is ,stop the Aitcrafr,the cars,or is it another Katrina which will happen anyway and well,” It dones`t matter ” .
fACT IS ,so called Gore informatinist .
Global warming will happen ,a disaster will happen .You will die .
The real people you should be talking to are the people who own the Aircraft companies ,Tv companies ,
Factory companies ,Car companies ,
Aerosol compaies ,Fridge companies to place a safety valve on for emissions,
Your Power is a childs toy :that`s all you`re intersted in and it will kill you .
Gore doesn`t have to educate any one .
People don`t need to be frigtend by a video .
Stop putting the emphasis on people .They know no better .The Companie do .
Thank you .
Earth Person .
Friends with Nature
Ban Nuclear Fuel .
Since “green” businesses are popping up left and right, I love that The
Social Venture Network is holding a contest to reward business leaders of socially responsible companies!