Google-Forschung: KI soll klimaschädliche Kondensstreifen verhindern

London - In a groundbreaking collaboration, the British government, top research institutions, and tech giant Google are launching a global experiment to reduce the climate impact of aviation. Dubbed "Operation Blue Skies," the initiative aims to test methods for preventing the formation of climate-damaging condensation trails during routine flight operations over the North Atlantic.

Condensation trails form when hot water vapor from aircraft engines freezes into carbon particles in the cold, humid upper atmosphere. While most of these trails dissipate quickly, some persist as artificial cloud layers for hours, trapping heat and acting like a thick blanket that prevents Earth's heat from escaping. Studies estimate that this effect contributes to approximately one-third of the overall climate impact of the aviation industry.

Researchers believe that avoiding condensation trails represent one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to combat climate change, as the affected atmospheric layers are typically confined to narrow zones in the upper atmosphere. Therefore, flights do not need to take long detours: often, small adjustments in flight altitude of just a few hundred meters are sufficient to fly above or below the moist zones and completely prevent the formation of persistent clouds.