Advancing Contrail Detection Methods over European Skies

Under particular atmospheric conditions, aircraft water vapor emissions can evolve into enduring formations, known as contrails, wherein they entrap the long-wave infrared radiation emitted by the Earth's surface modifying, consequently, the temperature structure within the lower atmosphere. This phenomenon, linked to global warming, underscores the need for studying contrail environmental impacts. Achieving this requires accurate methods to identify formation patterns and monitor size, splitting, and evolutionary dynamics of these features. The present study introduces a novel approach for achieving contrail detection in Multispectral Satellite Imagery based on linear structure considerations and temporal dynamic analysis. The assessment of experimental results relies on images acquired over Europe at specific instances when contrails were visible, leveraging the high temporal resolution provided by the geostationary satellite Meteosat Third Generation.