The £5m Operation Blue Skies initiative, backed by the UK government and Google, will use AI to cut the climate-warming vapour trails left behind by aircraft.
Operation Blue Skies will draw on Google-developed AI models to predict where warming contrails are likely to form over the Atlantic Ocean. This data will allow air traffic controllers to make small altitude adjustments to flight paths, enabling aircraft to avoid these areas.
Condensation trails, or contrails, form when water vapour from an aircraft’s exhaust mixes with very cold air in the upper atmosphere. Under the right atmospheric conditions, the water vapour freezes into tiny ice crystals, creating a visible cloud-like trail.
When these trails persist, they develop into clouds that trap heat radiating from the Earth, and so contribute to overall climate warming. Testing whether aircraft can avoid the areas where contrails are more likely to form could help make air travel more sustainable.
The 30-month Operation Blue Skies programme...