American Airlines and Google said on Thursday that they've significantly reduced the climate impact of some of the airline's flights using an AI-based forecasting tool to help prevent contrails. When airplanes fly through cold and humid areas, ice crystals can form around the soot particles emitted from the engine, creating clouds that trap heat and warm the planet. Now, however, Google is using artificial intelligence to predict where these condensation trails, or contrails, are likely to form if planes pass through, reports the AP.
American Airlines added the forecasts to its flight planning system on a trial basis to show where pilots could safely shift altitude or use optional routes to avoid those areas. The two firms said the tool could be one of the most cost-effective, scalable climate solutions available in aviation now, an industry under growing pressure to take action on climate change. And while those thin, white lines that form behind airplanes may look wispy, they're responsible for a surprising amount of Earth's warming—1% to 2%, per Contrails.org, a nonprofit research group dedicated to reducing aviation's climate impact through contrail management. The group was among the collaborators in the trial, which involved 2,400 flights from the US to Europe.
In research shared in a Thursday blog post, Google said half were given a route option to avoid creating contrails and the other half were the control group. For the 112 flights that flew that option, they formed 62% fewer contrails compared to the control group, the paper said. The researchers estimated that reduced the climatological warming from those flights by about 69%. Switching to cleaner fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel, can significantly reduce emissions and contrails, though that's far more expensive than slightly altering a flight route. Many contrails are short-lived, but some may persist for hours or even days if it's extremely humid.
Research on the subject suggests that minor adjustments to flight altitudes or routes to avoid these regions could eliminate a significant portion of this warming using a minimal amount of additional fuel, a theory tested through this trial. American Airlines said it's not yet making contrail avoidance a routine part of its regular flight-planning process. The airline said it hopes to continue working with its partners on additional studies, potentially involving different flight routes and times of day, that could help answer important scientific questions. More here.
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