Contrails in the Iowa Sky

Pictures of contrails outside over Eddyville Iowa. Aircraft emissions, containing carbon dioxide, produce a stream-like cloud that just like other clouds trap heat radiating from Earth. This is an example of how human activity is affecting the atmosphere and other Earth systems.

Eddyville

Iowa Core Standard

HS-ESS3-6

Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified over time.

Driving Question

What Earth systems are affected or modified by modes of human transportation?

Probing Questions

How are contrails produced and how do they affect Earth's systems?
What chemicals are in aircraft emissions?

Classroom Suggestions

Students could:

Develop a model representing how Earth's systems are affected by human transportation.
Design a travel plan using computational thinking that reduces the impact of contrails.
Develop a systems model with feedback loops predicting future effects of mitigated and unmitigated contrail effects.

Resources

Yale Environment 360 | How Airplane Contrails Are Helping Make the Planet Warmer Article about how contrails affect climate change.
California Academy of Sciences | Planes, Trains, or Bicycles: Being a Low-impact Traveler: Lesson plan about different modes of transportation and their carbon footprint.
PBS NOVA | The Contrail Effect: Are Vapor Trails From Aircraft Influencing the Climate?: Article discussing the contrail effect.
NASA | Contrails: In this Contrails lesson, an artificial cloud is produced inside a 500 ml flask by using water vapor, smoke as the condensing nucleus, and changes in pressure. The cloud production is similar to how contrails form behind a jet engine

Contributors

Submitted by Michelle Seddon