Researchers have found that if plane routes are altered slightly, the environmental effects of their exhaust could be lessened.

Researchers have found that if plane routes are altered slightly, the environmental effects of their exhaust could be lessened.

They’re specifically talking about contrails, the streams of vapor that form in an aircraft’s wake when it flies through areas that are particularly cold and moist.

In the past studies have found that the cloudy lines have an impact on the environment, and may be considered a contributing factor to global warming.

While they’re in the air, which can be up to 24 hours after their creation, the contrails act much like regular clouds, reflecting and trapping energy.

In doing so, they contribute to both the cooling and warming of the Earth’s environment, but scientists say that their impact on the latter is far more prevalent.

Determining how to best avoid creating them in the first place is a delicate balance.

Should a plane have to travel too far out of its path, then the added miles or the altitude change could cause the craft to burn more fuel, creating more carbon emissions.

The researchers calculated that contrail-minimizing reroutes of less than 60 miles for larger craft, and less than 200 miles for smaller craft were the best environmental choice.