“This is tantalising evidence that Second World War bombing raids can be used to help us understand processes affecting contemporary climate,” concluded MacKenzie. “By looking back at a time when aviation took place almost entirely in concentrated batches for military purposes, it is easier to separate the aircraft-induced factors from all the other things that affect climate.”
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This study is published in the International Journal of Climatology. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact Lifesciencenews@wiley.com
Full citation: A. C. Ryan, A. R. MacKenzie, S. Watkins, R. Timmis, “World War II contrails: a case study of aviation-induced cloudiness”, International Journal of Climatology, Wiley-Blackwell, July 2011 DOI: 10.1002/joc.2392
URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/joc.2392
Images:
Image One: air_flying fortress33.jpg
Caption Formation of B-17F Flying Fortress bombers of USAAF 92nd Bomb Group over Europe, circa 1943
Source United States Air Force
http://ww2db.com/image.php?image_id=7197
Image Two: B-17 contrails
Caption Vapor trails as a flight of B-17's joins another flight for a long-range mission
http://wwiinetherlandsescapelines.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/080306-f-3927a-055.jpg
About the Authors:
The work described was carried out by a team from Lancaster University and the Environment Agency, led by Prof MacKenzie, who is now at the University of Birmingham. The Environment Agency team comprised Prof Roger Timmis and Dr Sarah Watkins. Dr Annette Ryan worked with Prof MacKenzie at Lancaster. Data was kindly supplied by the Imperial War Museum, the Royal Air Force Museum, and the National Meteorological Archive.
About the Journal
The International Journal of Climatology aims to span the well established but rapidly growing field of climatology, through the publication of research papers, major reviews of progress and reviews of new books and reports in the area of climate science. The Journal’s main role is to stimulate and report research in climatology, from the expansive fields of the atmospheric, biophysical, engineering and social sciences.
http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/joc
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