Chemtrails are really just Contrails

One of the many bogus conspiracy theories speaks of so-called chemtrails.

Contrails are explained in more detail in the Wikipedia article on Contrails.

I gathered a small collection of links to videos that debunk Chemtrails. These videos are all fairly short and to the point. And of some entertainment value.

What follows is my scientific explanation of the two causes of condensation trails.

Chemtrails are actually contrails. Contrails (condensation trails) are water vapor caused by both jet engine exhaust and the Bernoulli effect around a plane’s wings as air is rapidly decompressed and cooled, causing water to condense (due to the laws of Thermodynamics having to do with pressure and temperature). Basically, contrails are man-made clouds (water vapor only) and they are often quite beautiful. It is a pity that some people are naive and ignorant about the true nature of this phenomenon. They are living their lives in needless fear instead of marveling at what is a beautiful thing created by a combination of technology and nature. Contrails are created by a plane moving through the atmosphere under the right atmospheric conditions. You will tend to notice them on days where there are already cirrus clouds being formed due to the same atmospheric conditions but it is possible to see them on clear days if the amount of water in the air at high altitude is just right.

There are two ways contrails form. One is from jet engine exhaust that contains water. Have you ever noticed water dripping from an automobile exhaust on a cold day? Same thing. Warm air holds more water than cold air. As air cools, the evaporated water in the air will condense. (That is one of the reasons that rain is more likely as night falls and the atmosphere cools.) One of the byproducts of combustion engines, including jet engines, is water in the exhaust. As the exhaust leaves the jet engine, it cools so the water in the exhaust will condense into water vapor (a cloud). On some days at some altitudes, that exhaust water is fully absorbed by the atmosphere. On other days, it takes a while to be absorbed so the contrail stays visible for a short period of time. On yet other days, the conditions are such that the water vapor forms into man-made clouds. The same logic applies to natural clouds. Some days clouds appear and others they don’t appear, depending on pressure and temperature of the atmosphere.

The other way contrails form is caused by fluctuations in air pressure around the wings of the airplane. Have you ever released air from a bicycle tire by pressing on the valve and noticed that the air released is very cold and sometimes causes moisture to condense on the valve? Same thing. When a plane wing moves through the air at 500 miles per hour it impacts the air it is moving through. The air is compressed then decompressed, which under the right conditions of moisture content in the air can cause that moisture to condense into contrails.

Contrails are explained in more detail in the Wikipedia article on Contrails.

I gathered a small collection of links to videos that debunk Chemtrails. These videos are all fairly short and to the point. And of some entertainment value.

There is one popular chemtrail conspiracy video that was proven to be a hoax because the pilot who made the original video later admitted it was a hoax. See: Contrail Science

Cheers,
Dennis Allard
Santa Monica
October 17, 2013

4 thoughts on “Chemtrails are really just Contrails”

    1. Thank you for this perfect example of condensation trail formation.

      Notice how the condensation trail behind the plane does not form immediately. That is because it takes a moment for the jet exhaust that contains water vapor as a natural part of jet engine combustion to cool enough for the water vapor to turn into a cloud. If the plane were spraying something, you would not see a gap. Instead, you would see the sprayed substance start to appear immediately at the point on the wing from where it is being sprayed. But the plane is not spraying anything. It is releasing exhaust that contains water vapor which takes a few seconds to cool and condense into a condensation trail. That explains the gap behind the wing before the trail begins to form.

      Also notice how the plane is at first not creating condensation trails but, at about 0:17 in the video, condensation trails start forming. That is because the plane is flying in clear air but then enters an area of the sky where there is a light cloud. I suspect that, in addition, the plane is climbing so it entering cooler and lighter air where the conditions are better for condensation to occur.

      For some reason you are bothered by the formation of the condensation trail by the plane but the clouds, also seen in the video, do not bother you even though the two phenomenon are caused by the same thing – changes in atmospheric conditions and the presence of water vapor. As my original post explains and documents with scientific references, the formation of condensation trails only occurs under certain conditions when the right temperature and pressure combines with the presence of water vapor causing the water vapor to condense into a cloud. The same it true of normal clouds, yet you are not bothered by the fact that clouds only appear on some days and not on others.

      As your video clearly demonstrates, there are some areas of the sky with clouds and condensation trails and other areas without clouds. Why are you not claiming that the clouds themselves are evil conspiracies and contains evil substances? The condensation trails bother you but the clouds do not bother you? How do the clouds form? Really, have you studied how clouds form? Are you willing to bend your mind and realize that the clouds are just water vapor that form under certain conditions? And, that condensation trails are also things that form under certain conditions? They are both clouds, some made by nature, the others made by jet exhaust, and both explained by the laws of physics.

      Most likely, you are not willing to study the science that explains condensation trails and will continue to parrot the ignorant beliefs of those who use religious like thinking to give false explanations of what are, in fact, perfectly natural and man made phenomenon involving water vapor.

  1. You guys want to stay in your false reality. We all seen con trails and the way they dissipate. These are not the same these turn into clouds. There has been a steady overcast for the last 3 months. The planes are flying around and around spraying every day. If u don’t believe it your either delusional or part of the conspiracy. Its a fact they are geo engineering.

    1. Omar, you obviously did not read my article. On days where the atmosphere is sufficiently cold, a contrail will not be fully reabsorbed. Its physics. Have you ever taken a science class or a class in physics?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *