Cutting aircraft soot emissions is not enough to curb contrail clouds

Nature, Published online: 01 April 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00931-zThe contrail clouds formed by jet engines contribute to global warming. In-flight measurements of the particles emitted and contrails produced by a passenger jet show that contrails are formed through different mechanisms, depending on the soot-emission level and the fuel composition, potentially reshaping our understanding of the climate impact of aviation.