Abstract
Abstract The possible contribution of jet aircraft condensation trails (contrails) to recent observed increases in high cloudiness constitutes a potentially important human effect on climate that has received relatively little attention. Very high resolution (0.6 km) thermal-infrared imagery from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program polar orbiters, concentrated in the nighttime and morning hours, is interpreted to derive a climatic description of contrails over the United States and adjacent areas for the midseason months (April, July, October, and January) of 1977–79. A manual technique of identifying contrails on the imagery is validated by comparison with more recent ground-based observations. Contrail spatial distributions are mapped at a 1° lat × 1° long resolution for monthly and multimonth time periods. Contrail incidence is widespread over the United States and adjacent areas, with highest frequencies occurring over the following regions: the extreme Southwest (particularly southern Califo...
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