High above us, streaking across the sky, those thin white trails left by airplanes—called contrails—might seem harmless, even beautiful. But what if these wispy clouds are quietly shaping our climate? In this video, we dive into the science of aviation contrails: how they form, why they matter, and the surprising ways they contribute to global warming. From jet engine exhaust to cirrus cloud formation, we’ll uncover how something so subtle could have an outsized impact on our environment—and what researchers are doing to mitigate it.
