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Stop Flying At Night: Can This Help Slow The Warming Trend?

You have probably heard a lot about global warming, but there are some things that most people have not heard about in relation to global warming. For example, did you know that commercial air flights are a major component of the greenhouse emissions? Most people do not realize the impact that flying has on the environment. In truth, air travel has a strong impact on the environment. For instance, did you know that passenger air travel keeps growing, right now at an estimated five percent a year, and that it is estimated that passenger air travel will be responsible for roughly 15 percent of all the man-made carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2050.

When considering all the amount of industry and car travel that occurs each and every day in this world, this is an astounding figure to consider. Moreover, did you realize that night air travel contributes more of the effects of global warming? A recent study urges certain recommendations, including putting a restriction on the number of night flights that are currently under operation. This simple ban could help stave off the growing effects of global warming.

In a recent article published by Dr. Nicola Stuber and her colleagues at the University of Reading, they have found that when commercial planes reach a certain level, the aircraft will began to produce what is known as contrails. Contrails can be essentially described as condensation trails that are caused by the hot exhaust that steams out of the plane when it reaches this cold upper atmosphere. It appears now that these so-called contrails actually have a bigger affection on global climate change than we have ever imagined. The report details how the contrails are essentially clouds, and how they can trap heat like a cloud that has been emitted from the Earth's surface. This means that the contrails only help to exacerbate the so-called greenhouse effect that is in great part responsible for global warming.

However, this contrail effect only has this kind of effect during night flights. During the daytime flights, these contrail clouds actually appear to have some kind of a cooling effect. Why? Because of their white color. According to the researchers, the contrail clouds are white and this means that they actually reflect a lot of the sun's energy and refract it back into space. In many situations, contrail clouds have been known to stay put for several hours at one time.

Another important revelation made by Dr. Stuber and her research team shows that flights made during the winter months may also be contributing more to global warming than flights made during other times of the year. According to Dr. Stuber and her team, it appears that flights made during the months of December through February tend to contribute nearly half of all the greenhouse gases that are thought to contribute to global climate change. Why is this so? According to the research team, it appears that this occurs because contrail clouds are formed more easily during the weather that occurs during the winter flying months.

With these new facts in tow, it makes perfect sense to curtail the number of night flights, as well as the number of winter flights that are currently under operation. Another thing that could apparently help is to change the altitude at which commercial aircraft fly. Simply changing the altitude of the plane could drastically reduce the amount of emissions, the study indicates. With this new knowledge in hand, it is expected that airlines will begin to adjust their air routes and air schedules, but only at the urging of world governments working together.