| Resumo : |
Aviation's environmental impact extends beyond carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fuel combustion and includes significant non-CO2 effects. Among these, the formation of contrails and cirrus clouds driven by the condensation of water vapor in aircraft exhaust at high altitudes stands out as a major contributor to aviation's overall radiative forcing, leading to a net warming effect on the Earth's climate. This study investigates the contrail phenomenon within the Brazilian airspace and discusses potential strategies and challenges for mitigating its environmental impacts. Using one year of flight trajectory and meteorological data, we conduct a spatiotemporal analysis of contrail occurrence along major domestic routes, providing novel insights into the environmental performance of Brazilian air traffic. We find that persistent contrails likely formed for 17.5% of the analyzed flights, appearing across wide areas and even in low-latitude regions. The results also highlight the strong seasonal variability and non-linear behavior of contrail impacts. Based on this data-driven assessment of contrail formation, we propose new performance indicators for contrail monitoring and evaluate the potential contribution of contrail-avoidance strategies for environmental impact mitigation. Ultimately, this work contributes to a better understanding of non-CO2 emissions in the domestic airspace and supports efforts to improve the overall environmental performance of Brazilian aviation. |