Comments on: Memphis Belle WWII Bomber Contrails – 1944 http://contrailscience.com/memphis-belle-wwii-bomber-contrails-1944/ The Science and Pseudoscience of Contrails and Chemtrails Thu, 17 May 2012 02:26:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Uncinus http://contrailscience.com/memphis-belle-wwii-bomber-contrails-1944/comment-page-1/#comment-57599 Uncinus Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:08:03 +0000 http://contrailscience.com/?p=279#comment-57599 Yes, lots of weather at 25,000 feet. Sailplane pilots have ridden thermals up over 30,000 feet, and mountain waves up to 50,000 feet. There's lots of movement in the atmoshere - that's what turbulance is. The tropopause is not so much like: [img]http://www.weatherquestions.com/stratosphere.jpg[/img] more like: [img]http://www.atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca/SPARC/News22/Figures/Randel_Fig1_Hiaper.jpg[/img] Of, as actually measured over Europe, in blue here: [img]http://www.fz-juelich.de/nic/Publikationen/Broschuere1998/Umwelt/ebel2-klein.gif[/img] (from http://www.fz-juelich.de/nic/Publikationen/Broschuere1998/umwelt-e.html ) Yes, lots of weather at 25,000 feet. Sailplane pilots have ridden thermals up over 30,000 feet, and mountain waves up to 50,000 feet. There’s lots of movement in the atmoshere – that’s what turbulance is.

The tropopause is not so much like:
[img]http://www.weatherquestions.com/stratosphere.jpg[/img]

more like:
[img]http://www.atmosp.physics.utoronto.ca/SPARC/News22/Figures/Randel_Fig1_Hiaper.jpg[/img]

Of, as actually measured over Europe, in blue here:
[img]http://www.fz-juelich.de/nic/Publikationen/Broschuere1998/Umwelt/ebel2-klein.gif[/img]
(from http://www.fz-juelich.de/nic/Publikationen/Broschuere1998/umwelt-e.html )

]]> By: JFDee http://contrailscience.com/memphis-belle-wwii-bomber-contrails-1944/comment-page-1/#comment-57592 JFDee Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:53:45 +0000 http://contrailscience.com/?p=279#comment-57592 Troposphere reaches up to 11km minimum, as I learned for my license. That's around 36060 ft - the bombers were climbing to 25000 ft, according to narrator. That's still in "weather" range. Troposphere reaches up to 11km minimum, as I learned for my license. That’s around 36060 ft – the bombers were climbing to 25000 ft, according to narrator. That’s still in “weather” range.

]]> By: JazzRoc http://contrailscience.com/memphis-belle-wwii-bomber-contrails-1944/comment-page-1/#comment-57591 JazzRoc Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:09:29 +0000 http://contrailscience.com/?p=279#comment-57591 U: "Most likely a thermal. A column of rising warmer air." Not so likely at the tropopause or above, surely? There again, maybe another gaggle of bombers may have preceded them at a lower altitude... so maybe it is QUITE likely, come to think of it... :) U: “Most likely a thermal. A column of rising warmer air.”

Not so likely at the tropopause or above, surely?

There again, maybe another gaggle of bombers may have preceded them at a lower altitude… so maybe it is QUITE likely, come to think of it… :)

]]> By: Uncinus http://contrailscience.com/memphis-belle-wwii-bomber-contrails-1944/comment-page-1/#comment-57571 Uncinus Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:44:44 +0000 http://contrailscience.com/?p=279#comment-57571 Most likely a thermal. A column of rising warmer air. Most likely a thermal. A column of rising warmer air.

]]> By: MikeC http://contrailscience.com/memphis-belle-wwii-bomber-contrails-1944/comment-page-1/#comment-57569 MikeC Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:27:41 +0000 http://contrailscience.com/?p=279#comment-57569 Some partos of the video give insight into how the atmosphere is not uniform - At about 42 and 48 seconds you'll see contrails "blip" from one of the aircraft in shot - they disappear for a second from all 4 engines - I guess this is because they pass through a small volume of air that has different characteristics - a volume that adjacent aircraft do not pass through. And from 50-58 seconds (roughly) there is a bomber in the foreground not generating contrails, while those higher in the background all do - illustrating the relatively short distances that can affect contrail formation. Or alternatively the first one is showing that the pilots knocked their secret spraying switches by accident, and the 2nd one shows that the aircraft spraying their comrades are lighter because they have ditched all that weight......but that might just be the sarcastic cynic in me talking ;) Some partos of the video give insight into how the atmosphere is not uniform –

At about 42 and 48 seconds you’ll see contrails “blip” from one of the aircraft in shot – they disappear for a second from all 4 engines – I guess this is because they pass through a small volume of air that has different characteristics – a volume that adjacent aircraft do not pass through.

And from 50-58 seconds (roughly) there is a bomber in the foreground not generating contrails, while those higher in the background all do – illustrating the relatively short distances that can affect contrail formation.

Or alternatively the first one is showing that the pilots knocked their secret spraying switches by accident, and the 2nd one shows that the aircraft spraying their comrades are lighter because they have ditched all that weight……but that might just be the sarcastic cynic in me talking ;)

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