News Climate

Ship exhaust studies overestimate cooling from pollution-altered clouds

‘Ship tracks’ are too short-lived to accurately reflect how aerosol-cloud interactions might alter the climate

satellite image of ship tracks in clouds

Interactions between aerosols from ship exhaust and clouds form “ship tracks,” shown here as bright white lines amid the clouds off the Pacific coast of North America.

NASA, GOES WEST

By Carolyn Gramling

- More than 2 years ago

Among the biggest questions for climate change forecasters is how atmospheric aerosols shape clouds, which can help cool the planet.