Contrail

A visible line-shaped cloud formed when aircraft exhaust adds water vapor and particles to cold air. Depending on the surrounding air, it may evaporate quickly or persist and spread.

Schmidt–Appleman criterion: A thermodynamic criterion predicting whether aircraft exhaust mixing with ambient air can produce a visible contrail. It specifies the temperature and humidity conditions under which exhaust reaches water saturation.
Contrail cirrus: A spreading ice cloud formed from persistent aircraft contrails. It is the mature, diffuse form that makes long-lived contrails climatically significant.
Persistent contrail: A contrail that remains visible because the surrounding air is sufficiently humid with respect to ice. It persists when ice crystals do not rapidly sublimate in the ambient air.
Vapor trail: A visible line of condensed water droplets or ice crystals produced by an aircraft, especially in cold, humid air. The term commonly names the same phenomenon, though it can also describe other visible aircraft trails.
Ice nucleation: The process by which liquid water or vapor forms the first ice crystals. Contrails become visible as water freezes onto particles in the cooling exhaust plume.
Radiative forcing: A change in Earth’s energy balance caused by a change in atmospheric or surface conditions. Contrail clouds absorb outgoing infrared radiation and reflect incoming sunlight.
Non-persistent contrail: A contrail that disappears soon after formation because the surrounding air is too dry for its ice crystals to persist. It contrasts with the long-lived contrails that spread into cirrus-like clouds.
Aircraft condensation trail: A cloud formed when aircraft exhaust mixes with cold air and water vapor condenses or freezes. This formal name emphasizes the condensation process that produces a contrail.
Aircraft engine exhaust: The mixture of gases and particles released by an aircraft engine during operation. Its water vapor and particles seed the initial contrail plume.
Aviation and climate change: The effects of aircraft operations and emissions on the climate system. Contrails are a major non-carbon-dioxide contributor to aviation’s climate impact.

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