In a groundbreaking partnership, Google’s Climate & Energy team, American Airlines, and Breakthrough Energy are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to mitigate the formation of contrails. This collaboration aims to leverage AI’s predictive capabilities in generating contrail forecast maps, enabling pilots to select routes less likely to create these climate-impacting trails.
The initiative brings together vast amounts of data from satellite imagery, weather patterns, and flight paths to test the ability of Google’s AI to accurately predict contrail formation zones. With climate change becoming an increasingly critical global concern, such AI-powered solutions could play a pivotal role in alleviating its effects and supporting adaptive strategies.
Contrails, the cloud-like streaks visible in the sky trailing airplanes, are essentially soot emissions from aircraft exhausts. Google estimates that contrails contribute to approximately 35% of aviation’s environmental impact as they spread out and trap heat within the Earth’s atmosphere.
The partnership with American Airlines explores the potential of Google’s AI in accurately predicting contrail-prone regions. The anticipated outcome is a system that empowers pilots to select alternative routes, avoiding areas conducive to contrail formation.
Preliminary findings indicate that contrail avoidance could be a cost-effective strategy to lessen the aviation industry’s climate impact. The study also revealed that adjusting the altitude of certain flights to avoid high-humidity regions could be a viable solution.
Over six months, American Airlines pilots conducted 70 test flights using Google’s AI-based predictions. These predictions were corroborated by Breakthrough Energy’s open-source contrail models, helping to steer clear of flight path altitudes prone to contrail creation.
The subsequent analysis of satellite imagery revealed a promising reduction in contrails by 54%. This significant decrease underscores the potential for the aviation industry to lessen its climate impact through strategic route planning for commercial flights.
While flights designed to avoid contrail formation burned an additional 2% fuel, research indicates that merely a small percentage of flights would require adjustments to evade contrail warming. Consequently, the overall fuel impact could be as low as 0.3% across all of an airline’s flights.
The application of AI and machine learning (AI/ML) in this context demonstrates the transformative potential of these technologies in driving climate research and shaping the future of sustainable aviation. The ultimate vision is to transition towards a zero-impact aviation industry.
According to Google, the intuitive nature of this AI technology could revolutionize aviation industry practices, from flight planning to actual flight operations. However, whether these changes can be implemented at scale will depend on further research and time.
