Contrails in the Stratosphere

George B

Extinct but not forgotten Staff Member
Over that distance that 747 may lay 10,395 tons of persistent spreading contrail ice into a saturated (but de-saturating!) stratosphere. Where was all that stored? :)
You insist persistent contrails are seen in the stratosphere . . . I wish we could get a 747 pilot who has cruised into the lower stratosphere to comment . . . IMO seems you and Dr Minnis don't agree . . .
 
It's magic. :)

I see you're from Tenerife. I've been there once myself.
I decided to celebrate the occasion by standing in one of the engines.
OK . . . Billzilla . . . do persistent contrails form in the stratosphere???




Aviation and the Global Atmosphere: A Special Report of ... - Page 206 - Google Books Result
books.google.com/books?isbn...
Joyce E. Penner - 1999 - Science


Persistent contrails in the stratosphere are not likely because of the low ambient relative humidity.







http://books.google.com/books?id=Jg...ontrails+in+the+stratosphere&output=html_text


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do persistent contrails form in the stratosphere???

Evidences of thin cirrus clouds in the stratosphere at mid-latitudes

This observational study shows that mid-latitude Stratospheric Clouds can exist under certain conditions. The mechanism of isentropic transport of subtropical tropospheric air into the mid-latitude stratosphere is not new and is an evident source of moist air into the stratosphere.

When there is enough moisture to produce cirrus clouds, there is enough moisture to produce persistent contrails.

I'll give ya this much, George, regardless of how often you're proven wrong you just keep on keepin' on.
 
Evidences of thin cirrus clouds in the stratosphere at mid-latitudes



When there is enough moisture to produce cirrus clouds, there is enough moisture to produce persistent contrails.

I'll give ya this much, George, regardless of how often you're proven wrong you just keep on keepin' on.

From the same paper you cited above . . .


Some studies have reported cirrus above the thermal tropopause (Sassen et al.,
1991; Murphy et al., 1990; Wang et al., 1996). To our best knowledge, no cirrus
has been shown to be clearly and unambiguously located in the stratosphere at mid- 25 latitudes. Here we report on the search for cirrus in the stratosphere using the French lidar database acquired in south of France at Observatory of Haute-Provence (OHP). We find some observational evidence that thin cirrus can be observed high enough to
be unambiguously classified as a Mid-latitude Stratospheric Cloud type (MSC).
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From the same paper you cited above . . .


Some studies have reported cirrus above the thermal tropopause (Sassen et al.,
1991; Murphy et al., 1990; Wang et al., 1996). To our best knowledge, no cirrus
has been shown to be clearly and unambiguously located in the stratosphere at mid- 25 latitudes. Here we report on the search for cirrus in the stratosphere using the French lidar database acquired in south of France at Observatory of Haute-Provence (OHP). We find some observational evidence that thin cirrus can be observed high enough to
be unambiguously classified as a Mid-latitude Stratospheric Cloud type (MSC).
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If you only read the portion you bolded and stopped, it would make it seem like cirrus had not been found in the stratosphere. But the rest of the paragraph (underlined) shows that they they were successful in their search.

This is why scientific writing is so often quote-mined. It often starts by outlining the problem or question, then goes on to give the solution or answer. If you stop reading before the latter part, you come to a conclusion that's the opposite of the authors' intent.
 
If you only read the portion you bolded and stopped, it would make it seem like cirrus had not been found in the stratosphere. But the rest of the paragraph (underlined) shows that they they were successful in their search.

This is why scientific writing is so often quote-mined. It often starts by outlining the problem or question, then goes on to give the solution or answer. If you stop reading before the latter part, you come to a conclusion that's the opposite of the authors' intent.
Seems there are always some exceptions . . . that is why I included the entire quote . . . however, this is far from conclusive that persistent contrails are common in the stratosphere . . .


[32] It can be noticed that contrail frequency in the extratropics is higher at 250 hPa than at 200 hPa, especially in winter (Figure 3). The latter level is often located in the stratosphere, where it is too dry to allow contrail persistence. In the tropics, [32]


http://www.agu.org/journals/jd/jd0213/2001JD000429/body.shtml




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You insist persistent contrails are seen in the stratosphere . . . I wish we could get a 747 pilot who has cruised into the lower stratosphere to comment . . . IMO seems you and Dr Minnis don't agree . . .
Well, I'm calling it the stratosphere, but the actual height used for the measurements of these heavy trails was 10.7 Km, or 33,500 feet. You could argue it's the tropopause, but it isn't material to my claim.

http://www-pm.larc.nasa.gov/sass/pub/journals/atlas_JAMC2006.pdf

Jet streams are always in the stratosphere and they are always WET. It isn't in any way reasonable to suppose that the lower stratosphere is DRY in order to support your crazy belief.

There is no "arbitration" to be made between a CORRECT position and an INCORRECT one. Don't be a waste of time and space.
 
Well, I'm calling it the stratosphere, but the actual height used for the measurements of these heavy trails was 10.7 Km, or 33,500 feet. You could argue it's the tropopause, but it isn't material to my claim.

http://www-pm.larc.nasa.gov/sass/pub/journals/atlas_JAMC2006.pdf

Jet streams are always in the stratosphere and they are always WET. It isn't in any way reasonable to suppose that the lower stratosphere is DRY in order to support your crazy belief.

There is no "arbitration" to be made between a CORRECT position and an INCORRECT one.
What are you talking about? What does the presence or not of visible persistent contrails in the stratosphere have to do with my theories . . . it is either supported by scientific fact or it is not!!!! What in the world are you afraid of?
 
Well I finally have an answer from Wiki.answer about the location of the jet streams . . . LoL!!!



Where are jet streams located in the atmosphere?


http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_jet_streams_located_in_the_atmosphere#page1




The polar jet stream is, on average, 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the atmosphere, which places it near the top of the Troposphere. The subtropical jet stream tends to be a little higher - around 13 kilometers - because the air is warmer. Warmer air takes up more space, therefore the top of the atmosphere is higher. Typically the jet stream is found between 200 and 300 hectopascals (hPa, which is equivalent to millibars, or mb). In atmospheric science, the altitude in the atmosphere is often given in terms of what the atmospheric pressure is for reasons that we won't get into. In any event, these are the levels we look at for the jet stream. The layer of the atmosphere where the jet stream resides is not completely clear. The most common definition given for the top of the troposphere is where the temperature stops decreasing and begins increasing. This is almost always at altitudes above 200mb. Therefore, the jet stream is generally found in the troposphere, near the tropopause.
It is rarely as high as the stratosphere.

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What are you talking about? What does the presence or not of visible persistent contrails in the stratosphere have to do with my theories . . . it is either supported by scientific fact or it is not!!!! What in the world are you afraid of?
It is supported by fact. I'm tired of you, George, not afraid.

The layer of the atmosphere where the jet stream resides is not completely clear.
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Are you going to clarify this? Thought not...
 
It is supported by fact. I'm tired of you, George, not afraid.
So your position is persistent contrails are commonly found in the stratosphere . . . I really don't care if you are tired or not . . . take a stand . . .
 
So your position is persistent contrails are commonly found in the stratosphere . . . I really don't care if you are tired or not . . . take a stand . . .
Yes. They are as commonly found as is the jet stream, which is a stratospheric phenomenon.

We all know that the UPPER stratosphere is dry, George.

The difference between us and you is your keenness to suppose that the whole of the stratosphere is DRY, and therefore trails laid in it may be other than ICE.

You are ignoring the fact that planes don't travel in the upper stratosphere - because they cannot.

You are also ignoring that where they DO travel it is frequently very wet indeed. And you are ignoring many other things beside. Like the weight of the trail, the fact there's no sign of SO2 recorded in the history of the atmosphere apart from the volcanic emissions, and the presence of cirrus ice clouds, themselves the sign of fully-saturated air.

There is nothing to be afraid of in what you write. It is merely astroturf freshly elaborated by you, and merely needs a mental laxative. Reading that report does that. Why don't you try it sometime?
 
It is supported by fact. I'm tired of you, George, not afraid.


Are you going to clarify this? Thought not...
Since you added it after I responded . . . I will now . . . the remaining quote is self explanatory seems the jet stream is rarely in the stratosphere . . . which means its accompanying saturating moisture is also logically rare . . . unless you have evidence to the contrary . . .

The layer of the atmosphere where the jet stream resides is not completely clear. The most common definition given for the top of the troposphere is where the temperature stops decreasing and begins increasing. This is almost always at altitudes above 200mb. Therefore, the jet stream is generally found in the troposphere, near the tropopause.
It is rarely as high as the stratosphere.



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Yes. They are as commonly found as is the jet stream, which is a stratospheric phenomenon.

We all know that the UPPER stratosphere is dry, George.

The difference between us and you is your keenness to suppose that the whole of the stratosphere is DRY, and therefore trails laid in it may be other than ICE.

You are ignoring the fact that planes don't travel in the upper stratosphere - because they cannot.

You are also ignoring that where they DO travel it is frequently very wet indeed. And you are ignoring many other things beside. Like the weight of the trail, the fact there's no sign of SO2 recorded in the history of the atmosphere apart from the volcanic emissions, and the presence of cirrus ice clouds, themselves the sign of fully-saturated air.

There is nothing to be afraid of in what you write. It is merely astroturf freshly elaborated by you, and merely needs a laxative.
1) I never once said aircraft flew anywhere but the lower stratosphere . . .
2) This discussion has nothing to do with sulfur species injected into the atmosphere at any altitude . . .
3) I am talking only about persistent contrails and contrail induced cirrus and how common their presence could be in the stratosphere
4) All the scientific information I have found indicates their presence in the LOWER stratosphere is rare . . . meaning NOT COMMON . . . this is further supported by my correspondence with Dr Minnis . . . who I think can be considered an expert on this issue . . .
5) I have asked for Billzilla's observations . . . I would accept his position as plausible evidence of controdictory evidence to the commonly held scientific position . . .
 
Yes. They are as commonly found as is the jet stream, which is a stratospheric phenomenon.



You are also ignoring that where they DO travel it is frequently very wet indeed. And you are ignoring many other things beside.

I am ignoring nothing . . .
1) so you insist the jet stream is primarily a stratospheric resident . . . I don't think everyone would agree with that position . . .
2) are you saying on the top of the jet streams which sometimes extend into the stratosphere the humidity is sufficient to form persistent contrails????!!?!!
3) And if so . . . how common is this event when in proximity to cruising aircraft . . . rare or common . . . in your opinion . . .??


Why do planes fly in the stratosphere?


http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2031115


Beginning from six to 11 miles above the earth is a layer of the atmosphere called the stratosphere.


In this layer the air temperatures, pressures and humidity are all much lower than in the troposphere, which lies below it. In the colder seasons and at higher latitudes around the globe where jet aircraft can reach the stratosphere, operators and passengers benefit from the favorable conditions.


Turbulence
The type of turbulence caused by convective heating, the same heating that helps cause thuderstorms, does not occur in the stratosphere.


Engines
Jet engines burn fuel more efficiently at the lower temperatures in the stratosphere.


Weather
Airframe icing, a danger to aviation, occurs only below the stratosphere and although thunderstorms may occasionally punch up into the stratosphere, they are easier to avoid and do not result in turbulence outside of their boundaries.


Drag
Aircraft move easier through the stratosphere than at lower altitudes because of the reduced friction and drag associated with lower atmospheric density.


Jet Stream
Especially on the higher side of the tropopause (the transition area between the troposphere and stratosphere) upper level winds are at their strongest, helping aircraft to their destination faster when it is in the right direction.


Noise
Because sound travels poorly through lower density fluids and is disrupted by the sharp temperature changes at the tropopause, the noise of jet engines reaches the earth at a lower and almost imperceptible level.




Read more: Why do planes fly in the stratosphere? | Answerbag http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2031115#ixzz2CVMIE9D3

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I am ignoring nothing
Nonsense. You ignore things all the time.

you insist the jet stream is primarily a stratospheric resident . . . I don't think everyone would agree with that position
No, I think the jet stream works its way round cumulonimbi. Not. I haven't gone round checking anyone else's opinion. I also believe one plays tennis by knocking the ball over the net. I'm funny that way. I haven't checked whether this is true either.

are you saying on the top of the jet streams which sometimes extend into the stratosphere the humidity is sufficient to form persistent contrails?
On the many occasions I have flown through a jet stream
a) The airplane couldn't overfly it, and b) it was always intensely wet (and cold) and c) all planes in the vicinity were laying trails.

The jet stream cannot flow without the water burden it carries. That water holds LATENT ENERGY and gives it its ticket to ride.

It also CANNOT have formed in the troposphere. It may end up there when it gets to a cell boundary but it cannot "fly" except in the low stratosphere where conditions are laminar. The turbulent flow of the tropopause (all large cumulus clouds and storms) would stop that flow.

Try forming your own opinion from understanding rather than looking for views that agree with your position. Science isn't an opinion poll.
 
Ice supersaturation is required for persistent contrails. Measurements over Germany indicate that this generally does not occur in the stratosphere (as demarked by the thermal tropopause).

http://www.pa.op.dlr.de/issr/Cha3.html


3.d The situation of ice-supersaturation layers relative to the tropopause

The possibility to detect ice-supersaturation with a thoroughfully gauged radiosonde allows to study the location of ice-supersaturation layers relative to the local thermal tropopause. Here we say "ice-supersaturation layers" instead of the usual "ice-supersaturated regions", because the latter notion refers to cloud free regions, whereas we have no possibility to decide whether the radiosonde was in a true ISSR or in a cirrus cloud.Ice-supersaturation layers appear mostly in a broad region below the tropopause, sometimes their tops reach into the stratosphere. This is shown in the following three plots. The red line marks the local thermal tropopause, the ice-supersaturation layers are marked by the vertical blue bars.



In the following plot, all pressure levels refer to the tropopause pressure. This shows how the ice-supersaturation layers are concentrated in a broad region below the tropopause.



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Eyeballing the last plot, it looks like a good 95% of the ice supersaturated regions occur below the tropopause.
 
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Nonsense. You ignore things all the time.


No, I think the jet stream works its way round cumulonimbi. Not. I haven't gone round checking anyone else's opinion. I also believe one plays tennis by knocking the ball over the net. I'm funny that way. I haven't checked whether this is true either.


On the many occasions I have flown through a jet stream
a) The airplane couldn't overfly it, and b) it was always intensely wet (and cold) and c) all planes in the vicinity were laying trails.


The jet stream cannot flow without the water burden it carries. That water holds LATENT ENERGY and gives it its ticket to ride.

It also CANNOT have formed in the troposphere. It may end up there when it gets to a cell boundary but it cannot "fly" except in the low stratosphere where conditions are laminar. The turbulent flow of the tropopause (all large cumulus clouds and storms) would stop that flow.

Try forming your own opinion from understanding rather than looking for views that agree with your position. Science isn't an opinion poll.

What were you flying, what latitude and what was your maximum operational ceiling . . . ? My guess is you were most likley not in the stratosphere . . . but had no way to get above the stream . . . probably in excess of 43,000 to 50,000 feet . . . I would agree in some relatively rare situations where the tops of massive storms punch through the stratosphere there could be some persistent contrails if there were some aircraft in the area and high enough to be in the stratosphere . . .
 
It also CANNOT have formed in the troposphere. It may end up there when it gets to a cell boundary but it cannot "fly" except in the low stratosphere where conditions are laminar. The turbulent flow of the tropopause (all large cumulus clouds and storms) would stop that flow.
Jet streams are usually described as being at or below the thermal tropopause. Generally it does not seem to be in the stratosphere.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_jet_streams_located_in_the_atmosphere
The layer of the atmosphere where the jet stream resides is not completely clear. The most common definition given for the top of the troposphere is where the temperature stops decreasing and begins increasing. This is almost always at altitudes above 200mb. Therefore, the jet stream is generally found in the troposphere, near the tropopause. It is rarely as high as the stratosphere.
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<br>
Jet streams are usually described as being at or below the thermal tropopause. Generally it does not seem to be in the stratosphere.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_jet_streams_located_in_the_atmosphere
The layer of the atmosphere where the jet stream resides is not completely clear. The most common definition given for the top of the troposphere is where the temperature stops decreasing and begins increasing. This is almost always at altitudes above 200mb. Therefore, the jet stream is generally found in the troposphere, near the tropopause. It is rarely as high as the stratosphere.
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Mick, I was going to use that diagram from the NOAA website . . . you beat me to it . . .
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/jet.htm
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/jet.htm
 
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Great diagram...

I have made several trips flying through the sub-tropical jet at 30 deg N. Boeing 737s and Airbus 330s between 35,000 and 39,000 feet. To my knowledge, all tropospheric clouds were well beneath the flightpath.

I will hold my position. The jet stream requires laminar air conditions to run. That's definitely on the TOP side of the tropopause. The combination of jet stream and tropospheric cloud shown in the diagram at 60 deg N is entirely false and contradictory. Only ONE of those two states could exist at any one place and time. Also, jet streams never run along a latitude for any length of time before they turn North or South, which is another pointer for their being above the tropopause.

It's rather like arguing the number of angels on the head of the pin, George, which is why you are found here. The tropopause is a very difficult place to pin down, with only very gently changing conditions throughout its height, there being little in the way of a positive thermal gradient for a couple of miles or so...

...however, the jet streams are wet*, the low stratosphere is wet*, planes can't fly above wet* conditions, even if these wet* conditions are only there for 17% of the time.

* Wet, relatively speaking. Damnit.
 
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So a question becomes . . .

1) If we assume there is more traffic in the lower stratosphere that in the recent past . . . meaning 1980s for example . . . should we not be seeing less persistent contrails and contrail induced cirrus clouds or at least no more than in the 1990s?

2) Global warming seems to create a situation where there is less optimal air for persistent contrail formation in the troposphere . . . so wouldn't this also mitigate the number of persistent trails as well . . . ?

3) or is there just such an increase in the total number of flights in optimal air the the above two factors are moot . . . ?
 
Great diagram...

I have made several trips flying through the sub-tropical jet at 30 deg N. To my knowledge, all tropospheric clouds were well beneath the flightpath.

I will hold my position. The jet stream requires laminar air conditions to run. That's definitely on the TOP side of the tropopause. The combination of jet stream and tropospheric cloud shown in the diagram at 60 deg N is entirely false and contradictory. Only ONE of those two states could exist at any one place and time. Also, jet streams never run along a latitude for any length of time before they turn North or South, which is another pointer for their being above the tropopause.

It's rather like arguing the number of angels on the head of the pin, George, which is why you are found here. The tropopause is a very difficult place to pin down, with only very gently changing conditions throughout its height, there being little in the way of a positive thermal gradient for a couple of miles or so...

...however, the jet streams are wet*, the low stratosphere is wet*, planes can't fly above wet* conditions, even if these wet* conditions are only there for 17% of the time.

* Wet, relatively speaking.
1) Why? Too much drag?

2) You mean wet* enough to allow persistent contrails as in air with Ice supersaturation ?
 
George, it's YOU that's too wet. Planes fly no higher because they are designed to fly no higher. They have too little wing area. I will not respond further. Life's too short.

Hi Jazzy, I don't know where you get the position that jet streams are only found in the stratosphere. I regularly encounter them at altitudes below 28000 feet. On the sigwx chart today you can see a couple over Australia. The altitude annotation on the jet stream shows where the core of the jet is located; clearly below the tropopause.
http://aviationweather.gov/data/products/swh/PGGE05_12_CL_new.gif
I'm sure you do. It's just that stooging around low down one gets to meet large clouds and other frictional things. These tend to bring one to a stop. If one is a jet stream. I'm not saying they aren't found low down. Just that if they are found there, their life will be short. When low, they'll be slow...

Jet streams achieve high overland speeds because they aren't so subject to friction from beneath. To do this they have to be HIGHER than this friction, in the main.

Tempaltitude.jpg

In this diagram we are arguing about angels standing where it says "10" on the left. That whole area has little or no temperature gradient around it. As a "boundary", it is as variable as you please. There is not going to be a sudden cut-off in humidity at that point, because it isn't a "point".

Everything immediately above that "point" is stratosphere, and the majority of planes can only fly in the first couple of miles of it. Which IS where water may still be found.
 
George, it's YOU that's too wet. Planes fly no higher because they are designed to fly no higher. They have too little wing area.

That is not what you implied with the following statement . . . you implied it was too wet!!!!

...however, the jet streams are wet*, the low stratosphere is wet*, planes can't fly above wet* conditions, even if these wet* conditions are only there for 17% of the time.

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Sorry Jazzy, but what you assert doesn't match my experience. The winter jet stream over Australia is a semi-permanent feature and regularly extends below 26000 feet or lower.
 
Eyeballing the last plot, it looks like a good 95% of the ice supersaturated regions occur below the tropopause.
Remember to turn your eyes the other way up.

skitched-20121117-115054.jpg

They are negative pressures. Your "below" should read "above". (Muffled laughter offstage...)
 
That is not what you implied with the following statement . . . you implied it was too wet!
It was your inference that was incorrect.

However I will restate this as "planes cannot fly in the stratosphere where the altitude is so great that water is barely present, because they haven't been designed with large enough wings". I don't actually care whether that does for you, or not.
 
Hi Jazzy, I don't know where you get the position that jet streams are only found in the stratosphere. I regularly encounter them at altitudes below 28000 feet. On the sigwx chart today you can see a couple over Australia. The altitude annotation on the jet stream shows where the core of the jet is located; clearly below the tropopause.

http://aviationweather.gov/data/products/swh/PGGE05_12_CL_new.gif

The couple over Australia are indicated higher than, or level with the tropopause, I suspect. I notice that closer to the poles they are lower. Isn't FL 410 = 41,000 feet?

I'm sure you regularly encounter them as you say. But if they are continuous, then the true tropopause will still be beneath them.
 
The true tropopause is indicated by the rectangular boxes. Just about all of the jet streams in that graphic are well below the true tropopause. The tropopause over most of Australia right now is around 50,000 feet.
 
It was your inference that was incorrect.

However I will restate this as "planes cannot fly in the stratosphere where the altitude is so great that water is barely present, because they haven't been designed with large enough wings". I don't actually care whether that does for you, or not.
Well, my inference was based on your statement . . . I could think of no other rational reason to connect inability to gain altitude because of being too wet . . . friction, icing, drag . . . what would water or moisture have to do directly with lift . . . ?
 
Remember to turn your eyes the other way up.

skitched-20121117-115054.jpg

They are negative pressures. Your "below" should read "above". (Muffled laughter offstage...)

No it shouldn't. It's below the tropopause. The Y axis is just (tropopause_pressure - pressure). The plot is essentially the same as the other plots, but with the red line made flat.
 
The true tropopause is indicated by the rectangular boxes. Just about all of the jet streams in that graphic are well below the true tropopause. The tropopause over most of Australia right now is around 50,000 feet.
Thanks.

Then consider this. The 30th parallel is a "subduction zone" for jet stream behavior, and the streams are not continuous. There is a net movement of air downwards* into the divide between the Hadley and the Ferrel Cell. This will pull jet streams downwards with it, accounting for their lower-than-normal altitude. (The boundary between the Ferrel and the Polar Cell should show the reverse conditions.)

* This is probably cyclic. I don't know what frequency. Only the words "Quasi-biennial Oscillation" which I would translate, probably wrongly, as "as if twice a year" and suggests to me the equinoxes.
 
The Y axis is just (tropopause_pressure - pressure).
A negative pressure is something you find if you climb. If pressure is lowering, then are you heading upward or downward? Have another think.

And it isn't "the same as the other plots". Look again at the Y axes. Are they both increasing positively?
 
A negative pressure is something you find if you climb. If pressure is lowering, then are you heading upward or downward? Have another think.

And it isn't "the same as the other plots". Look again at the Y axes. Are they both increasing positively?

No they are not, but check it all in context again:

http://www.pa.op.dlr.de/issr/Cha3.html

If you take the other plots, and adjust them so the red line is flat, then they get the bottom plot. The polarity of the Y axis is unintuitive, but it's clear what it means, and as they say:
This shows how the ice-supersaturation layers are concentrated in a broad region below the tropopause.
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I've looked out the window and seen us laying a nice thick contrail in the 30's and 40's thousand feet. The outside air temp anywhere from -50°c to -66°.
That's firmly in the stratosphere.

I saw a pretty impressive one over eastern India, when we were in the mid 30's and took a photo of it.



You can see how it starts becoming significant near the bank of cloud.
 
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No they are not
No. They are the reverse. The last plot shows the tropopause pressure in red, right? And the horizontal line above it is at +50 units, right? Well, THAT line is at a pressure found closer to earth. The h lines beneath show successively-reducing pressure figures, symptomatic of being further from earth.
The previous plots are horizontal mirror-images. Whoops - I first wrote vertical. LOL

The polarity of the Y axis is unintuitive
LOL. That's the way it is with, pardon me, bunk.

as they say
The end of "Gone with the Wind" springs to mind. I couldn't care less about something that's wrong.
 
I've looked out the window and seen us laying a nice thick contrail in the 30's and 40's thousand feet. The outside air temp anywhere from -50°c to -66°.
That's firmly in the stratosphere.

I saw a pretty impressive one over eastern India, when we were in the mid 30's and took a photo of it.



You can see how it starts becoming significant near the bank of cloud.
Do you remember what latitude you were cruising . . . when you were in the 30 to 40,000 feet situation . . .

Also, wouldn't the stratosphere be around 58,000 feet above most of India . . . if the contrail is in the stratosphere . . . how high was it??
 
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