Haven't been here for a while, and after traveling for some time I can tell you that there are two different types of trails in the sky on any given day here in the upper Midwest and they are very evident here in comparison to other parts of the nation. Two things needed for clouds, water vapor and particulates. When an aircraft emits their fuel there is also water vapor within the exhaust. This vapor is instantly cooled where deposition takes place making the water vapor (gas) crystallizes into a solid state by-passing the water state. These ice crystals then go through a process of sublimation returning to a gas state bypassing its liquid state. Water continuously does this in the atmosphere, rising in a vapor state, crystallizing into a solid state where gravity takes effect bringing it back towards earth. Its literally a river of unseen water in the sky even on a clear day here in Minnesota and around coastal areas where water is found in mass quantities. If the temperatures are right these ice crystals can maintain for a long period of time. The other formation that is spoken of in this segment is these other trails that exist and are found here daily, yes, two types. Standard ones we see all the time, and the ones that never leave and can be followed for hundreds of miles. These formations are obvious and intensified in the northern jet stream driving it further towards the equator. For every degree the mid-latitude heat belt grows, the weather will alter 69 miles, a 5 degree expansion of this heated belt would mean weather systems, incoming spring and outgoing fall would alter by over 172 miles, 2.5 degrees north and south, 5 degree total. This means Dallas weather would move north, Kansas City would move north, etc, etc. Coastal regions would not be impacted to the same degree with water acting as their buffer to heat. The goal is simple, compress the mid-latitude heat belt by flooding the jet stream, mathematically its suppose to work because global dimming did it by accident. Three years later we are experiencing these effects, and they are still going strong. -20 the other day, -14 when I took this shot, frickin cold for a long time. The power plant in the back ground is Becker Power Plant and demonstrates this deposition and sublimation taking place, and then there are these other trails left by aircraft. Standard contrails were evident by all large aircraft this day that dissipate rapidly.
