<p>Because chemtrails do not exist.  I am not only a meteorologist, but a former airline pilot.  In short (you can ask a new question about this if you are so interested), contrails are a form of a mixing cloud, the exact same mechanism that causes you to see your breath on a cold day.</p>

<p>The saturation vapor pressure curve is exponential so it is possible to have two air parcels that are subsaturated, but when mixed produce a supersaturated parcel.  When jet engine exhaust and the ambient atmosphere are favorable, a contrail mixing cloud is what happens when they mix together.</p>

<p>The active chemical in a contrail is water vapor ($\ce{H2O}$) and carbon soot particles that perform as cloud condensation nuclei to allow condensed droplet formation (these are a byproduct of combustion).</p>

<p>Say it again with me:</p>

<p><strong>Chemtrails do not exist</strong></p>

<p>To address your other points, there are processes that affect the pH of water and produce "Acid rain".   The chemicals that form this, however, typically emanate from the smokestacks of coal burning power plants or other industrial pollutants that produce fine particles of acid salts that act as cloud condensation nuclei.  Airplanes are not part of this problem.</p>

<p>As far as changing the weather goes, you are probably referring to cloud seeding via the release of silver iodide.  These are cloud condensation nuclei that promote droplet growth at low humidities and can be released to form precipitating clouds.  Specialized airplanes do this in very specific places and at low levels.  These are not in any way related to the contrails you see from normal jet traffic.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T07:59:14.857Z
Well, of course those trails will contain all the chemicals of the exhaust fumes, parts of which will condense on the soot particles. But you are right that the phenomenon of calling these 'chemtrails' and associating all kinds of (intentional) evil with them is an exaggeration.
Jan Doggen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T20:37:13.437Z
You are saying Chemtrails don't exist.  I am flabberghasted! We SEE them crisscrossing the sky every day.  I am an airforce brat and my dad was a pilot.  Those are NOT contrails!  They've got patents on the chemicals, old planes have been gutted to accept tanks for chemicals and we are definitely trying to control the weather...Obama even decreed that the media could not talk about them because of national security.  Could you please explain to me why this substantiated paradigm can be wrong?
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T20:44:01.753Z
@stormy Science is based upon evidence.  Please provide sources for your assertions and links to relevant patents.  Yes, we see mixing clouds every day high up in the sky in trail of airplanes, but these are contrails.  The planes I flew made them in the right conditions and there was nothing but Jet-A and air fed into those engines whose output mixed to become a cloud.  Weather modification is a real thing and no one is going to deny that (cloud seeding, etc), but they are not related to contrails (which are the things you claim to be chemtrails).
casey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T20:48:26.213Z
@stormy on one of these cold mornings, go start your car and look at the cloud coming from your exhaust pipe.  If the things in the sky are chemtrails, then so is that cloud coming out of your car, making you part of the conspiracy.  The cloud coming out of your car is made through the exact same process as the contrails behind an airplane.  Seeing your breath on a cool morning is also the exact same mechanism, a mixing cloud and not a chemtrail.
casey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-26T22:48:47.903Z
...shame on you...I give up trying to get some answers that MAKE sense...are you that afraid to think that this just might be real???  Not one has explained YET how these VAPOR TRAILS get turned on and off...just answer THAT ONE question...I read the stuff OTHER PEOPLE have written that you gave me to substantiate that I am an idiot...oh shoot, one other point...flying from point a to point b NOT IN A STRAIGHT LINE...is it so difficult to imagine that the military who already pronounced it would control the weather by 2025 is not working on their little task?
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-26T22:57:05.127Z
@stormy whether the military is or isn't working on that task is irrelevant because you aren't looking at military research, you are looking at clouds.  We have already described how the vapor trails aka clouds get turned on/off, which is by flying into/out of areas with proper humidity levels for mixing clouds to form.  Flying from A to B isn't 1 straight line but it is a series of connected very straight lines that can go on for hundreds of miles.  I was an airline pilot for 4 years should you need some assurance I know how aviation works.(I'm also a flight instructor and meteorologist)
casey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-04T02:39:49.430Z
Water vapor is the numero one greenhouse gas.  Guess YOU think it is CO2, the stuff plants thrive on and then give up O2 big time.  Yet, gee our news is all over this CO2 stuff and global WARMING?  Any geology 101 student could tell you we are in a cooling period.  Period.  NO events that we are able to discern are WARMING.  Cooling is cyclical, warming is a dead end to a Venus type atmosphere.  And sorry, I am very humbled with your degrees but I SEE this stuff everyday and critical thinking tells me NOT WATER VAPOR.  Please promise me that you'll let me know if you've changed mind.
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-04T02:41:51.363Z
So what explanation do you give for all the patents for 'seeding' or geoengineering our weather that go back to the '20's?
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-04T02:51:08.957Z
What explanation are you going to give me to explain WHY the 'persistent' contrails can stop and start on a dime?  Please don't use 'warm air layers'...we are talking about STOPPING and starting again without any trace of change from one temp to another...do you pilots just turn off the engine and then turn it on again?  My daddy was a big time pilot...btw.  And btw there are now people putting up billboards about chemtrails.  What the heck would motivate someone to put up expensive bill boards about a NON ISSUE?
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-04T13:25:25.067Z
@stormy water is a better GHG than CO2 (and so is methane) but the H20 vs CO2 thing is a feedback vs forcing mechanism (see other Qs on this site for details).  No one is debating "seeding" or geoengineering weather attempts, we are merely telling you that contrails are unrelated to these activities.  Contrails actually do not abruptly start/stop, the edges are quite diffuse, you just can't notice that observing them from 6 - 7 miles away.  Water vapor is stratified in layers and horizontally can have sharp gradients (see satellite water vapor imagery).
casey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-10T22:34:46.610Z
2016-01-07T10:46:56.427Z
2016-01-07T10:46:56.427Z
casey
<p>Chemtrails are amazingly obvious in our daily life but why aren't we more concerned?  The information and patents for the chemicals we? are spraying are readily available.  The chemicals are huge pollutants and are changing the pH of soil and water. Do we really know enough to try to change the weather which is the 'why' they tell us and/or reduce global warming?  They've been doing this (supposedly for 60+ years.  Why aren't we more informed and concerned?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-26T22:42:06.827Z
Just incredible your responses to an honest question.  Such SMART educated people who can't think for yourselves.  I don't even have the heart to ask about global warming...major sigh and shame on you...
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-03T00:39:27.723Z
This Q&A is pure comedy gold. Please let's keep it for ever.
naught101
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-04T03:06:02.327Z
Comedy Gold.  huh.  yet you can't educate little ole me who went and watched your stupid videos!!  GLOBAL WARMING?  Just hearing that you think we are in a global warming PHASE is supremely alarming.  Tell me one just ONE instance you know that this planet went through global warming.  You DO know that global cooling periods all appear as global warming at the beginning, yes??  Glaciation is cyclical and the physics of cooling cause it to be cyclical.  Warming is NOT cyclical...always a Venus at the end.  CO2, shame on you.  You are being brainwashed by the media like the rest of us...
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-05T20:56:12.000Z
http://www.aircrap.org/2016/07/05/cia-director-admits-stratospheric-aerosol-injection-chemtrails/ Hey guys, check this out...cia director, doesn't he hold a bit of credibility?
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T04:45:44.040Z
Such questions are generally a better fit for Skeptics.SE.
Deer Hunter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T06:32:37.217Z
1. Who are the "they" you are talking about? 2. Do you have any credible references for any of your claims?
Gimelist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T15:17:32.967Z
As others have pointed out, this is just conspiracy theory stuff founded on poor science. However there has been some work on contrails and how much sunlight their reflect - and the short term influence on global warming. However, this is less than the long term effects caused by the CO2 produced by the airplane...
winwaed
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T16:31:40.450Z
@DeerHunter skeptics already has covered this topic.  Although the topic is based on conspiracy theory and not science, keeping this one around will let us immediately close any future chemtrail question as a duplicate of this one.
casey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T20:46:12.230Z
@Stormy you make some wild claims and assertions in a comment to my answer.  Please edit your question to provide any peer-reviewed literature, patents applications and awards, documented quotes from people and any other actual evidence that can back up your claims.
casey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T20:48:29.157Z
Look up geoengineering, "why are they spraying" and "what are they spraying."  There are many websites talking about this and if this is only a 'conspiracy' theory...WHY would anyone make this stuff up?  Our military wants to CONTROL the weather by 2025.
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-11T21:04:31.163Z
http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/1x6r81/huge_list_of_geoengineering_links_and_evidence/
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-15T01:04:45.650Z
Amazing.  Simply unbelievable people are so yes! emotional about this!!  I added plenty of evidence.  I was asking this site to make a stand and give better proof than what I and you are SEEING.  I would love to know this is benign.  But COMMON SENSE wins out!  Truly, this scares me an awful lot.  Not the dang 'persistent contrails' but the need to be POLITIC about this.  And I am so very NOT convinced this benign.  If we are trying to CONTROL THE WEATHER by 2025 of course this is OUR practice grounds.  Gees.  How dare we screw with the weather!!  We are not even close to mature enough...
stormy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-15T01:15:54.693Z
I just gotta say WOW.  Again.  This got LABELED conspiracy theory and therefore it is now considered...what?  Inflamatory?  Not worth your time? Insane, crazy, OUTSIDE scientific scrutiny?  WOW.  Guess what...I am not a conspiracy theorist (stupid label).  I am a critical thinker, educated, isolated, not a part of any group, club...very humble and open-minded.  That is the truth.  Instead of supporting your stance you blow this question off by using the label conspiracy theorist.  And telling me I am crazy, out of line...WOW.  Very sobering...hope I don't ever have to say...I told you so...
stormy
<meteorology>
Why aren't there more questions and concerns about chemtrails?
stormy
# Why aren't there more questions and concerns about chemtrails?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-12-10)

Chemtrails are amazingly obvious in our daily life but why aren't we more concerned? The information and patents for the chemicals we? are spraying are readily available. The chemicals are huge pollutants and are changing the pH of soil and water. Do we really know enough to try to change the weather which is the 'why' they tell us and/or reduce global warming? They've been doing this (supposedly for 60+ years. Why aren't we more informed and concerned?

**Tags:** meteorology

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Such questions are generally a better fit for Skeptics.SE.  
> **username_3**: 1. Who are the "they" you are talking about? 2. Do you have any credible references for any of your claims?  
> **username_4**: As others have pointed out, this is just conspiracy theory stuff founded on poor science. However there has been some work on contrails and how much sunlight their reflect - and the short term influence on global warming. However, this is less than the long term effects caused by the CO2 produced by the airplane...  
> **username_5**: @username_2 skeptics already has covered this topic.  Although the topic is based on conspiracy theory and not science, keeping this one around will let us immediately close any future chemtrail question as a duplicate of this one.  
> **username_5**: @username_0 you make some wild claims and assertions in a comment to my answer.  Please edit your question to provide any peer-reviewed literature, patents applications and awards, documented quotes from people and any other actual evidence that can back up your claims.  
> **username_0**: Look up geoengineering, "why are they spraying" and "what are they spraying."  There are many websites talking about this and if this is only a 'conspiracy' theory...WHY would anyone make this stuff up?  Our military wants to CONTROL the weather by 2025.  
> **username_0**: http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/1x6r81/huge_list_of_geoengineering_links_and_evidence/  
> **username_0**: Amazing.  Simply unbelievable people are so yes! emotional about this!!  I added plenty of evidence.  I was asking this site to make a stand and give better proof than what I and you are SEEING.  I would love to know this is benign.  But COMMON SENSE wins out!  Truly, this scares me an awful lot.  Not the dang 'persistent contrails' but the need to be POLITIC about this.  And I am so very NOT convinced this benign.  If we are trying to CONTROL THE WEATHER by 2025 of course this is OUR practice grounds.  Gees.  How dare we screw with the weather!!  We are not even close to mature enough...  
> **username_0**: I just gotta say WOW.  Again.  This got LABELED conspiracy theory and therefore it is now considered...what?  Inflamatory?  Not worth your time? Insane, crazy, OUTSIDE scientific scrutiny?  WOW.  Guess what...I am not a conspiracy theorist (stupid label).  I am a critical thinker, educated, isolated, not a part of any group, club...very humble and open-minded.  That is the truth.  Instead of supporting your stance you blow this question off by using the label conspiracy theorist.  And telling me I am crazy, out of line...WOW.  Very sobering...hope I don't ever have to say...I told you so...  
> **username_0**: Just incredible your responses to an honest question.  Such SMART educated people who can't think for yourselves.  I don't even have the heart to ask about global warming...major sigh and shame on you...  
> **username_1**: This Q&A is pure comedy gold. Please let's keep it for ever.  
> **username_0**: Comedy Gold.  huh.  yet you can't educate little ole me who went and watched your stupid videos!!  GLOBAL WARMING?  Just hearing that you think we are in a global warming PHASE is supremely alarming.  Tell me one just ONE instance you know that this planet went through global warming.  You DO know that global cooling periods all appear as global warming at the beginning, yes??  Glaciation is cyclical and the physics of cooling cause it to be cyclical.  Warming is NOT cyclical...always a Venus at the end.  CO2, shame on you.  You are being brainwashed by the media like the rest of us...  
> **username_0**: http://www.aircrap.org/2016/07/05/cia-director-admits-stratospheric-aerosol-injection-chemtrails/ Hey guys, check this out...cia director, doesn't he hold a bit of credibility?  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-12-10. Score: 27

Because chemtrails do not exist. I am not only a meteorologist, but a former airline pilot. In short (you can ask a new question about this if you are so interested), contrails are a form of a mixing cloud, the exact same mechanism that causes you to see your breath on a cold day.

The saturation vapor pressure curve is exponential so it is possible to have two air parcels that are subsaturated, but when mixed produce a supersaturated parcel. When jet engine exhaust and the ambient atmosphere are favorable, a contrail mixing cloud is what happens when they mix together.

The active chemical in a contrail is water vapor ($\ce{H2O}$) and carbon soot particles that perform as cloud condensation nuclei to allow condensed droplet formation (these are a byproduct of combustion).

Say it again with me:

**Chemtrails do not exist**

To address your other points, there are processes that affect the pH of water and produce "Acid rain". The chemicals that form this, however, typically emanate from the smokestacks of coal burning power plants or other industrial pollutants that produce fine particles of acid salts that act as cloud condensation nuclei. Airplanes are not part of this problem.

As far as changing the weather goes, you are probably referring to cloud seeding via the release of silver iodide. These are cloud condensation nuclei that promote droplet growth at low humidities and can be released to form precipitating clouds. Specialized airplanes do this in very specific places and at low levels. These are not in any way related to the contrails you see from normal jet traffic.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Well, of course those trails will contain all the chemicals of the exhaust fumes, parts of which will condense on the soot particles. But you are right that the phenomenon of calling these 'chemtrails' and associating all kinds of (intentional) evil with them is an exaggeration.  
> **username_0**: You are saying Chemtrails don't exist.  I am flabberghasted! We SEE them crisscrossing the sky every day.  I am an airforce brat and my dad was a pilot.  Those are NOT contrails!  They've got patents on the chemicals, old planes have been gutted to accept tanks for chemicals and we are definitely trying to control the weather...Obama even decreed that the media could not talk about them because of national security.  Could you please explain to me why this substantiated paradigm can be wrong?  
> **username_5**: @username_0 Science is based upon evidence.  Please provide sources for your assertions and links to relevant patents.  Yes, we see mixing clouds every day high up in the sky in trail of airplanes, but these are contrails.  The planes I flew made them in the right conditions and there was nothing but Jet-A and air fed into those engines whose output mixed to become a cloud.  Weather modification is a real thing and no one is going to deny that (cloud seeding, etc), but they are not related to contrails (which are the things you claim to be chemtrails).  
> **username_5**: @username_0 on one of these cold mornings, go start your car and look at the cloud coming from your exhaust pipe.  If the things in the sky are chemtrails, then so is that cloud coming out of your car, making you part of the conspiracy.  The cloud coming out of your car is made through the exact same process as the contrails behind an airplane.  Seeing your breath on a cool morning is also the exact same mechanism, a mixing cloud and not a chemtrail.  
> **username_0**: ...shame on you...I give up trying to get some answers that MAKE sense...are you that afraid to think that this just might be real???  Not one has explained YET how these VAPOR TRAILS get turned on and off...just answer THAT ONE question...I read the stuff OTHER PEOPLE have written that you gave me to substantiate that I am an idiot...oh shoot, one other point...flying from point a to point b NOT IN A STRAIGHT LINE...is it so difficult to imagine that the military who already pronounced it would control the weather by 2025 is not working on their little task?  
> **username_5**: @username_0 whether the military is or isn't working on that task is irrelevant because you aren't looking at military research, you are looking at clouds.  We have already described how the vapor trails aka clouds get turned on/off, which is by flying into/out of areas with proper humidity levels for mixing clouds to form.  Flying from A to B isn't 1 straight line but it is a series of connected very straight lines that can go on for hundreds of miles.  I was an airline pilot for 4 years should you need some assurance I know how aviation works.(I'm also a flight instructor and meteorologist)  
> **username_0**: Water vapor is the numero one greenhouse gas.  Guess YOU think it is CO2, the stuff plants thrive on and then give up O2 big time.  Yet, gee our news is all over this CO2 stuff and global WARMING?  Any geology 101 student could tell you we are in a cooling period.  Period.  NO events that we are able to discern are WARMING.  Cooling is cyclical, warming is a dead end to a Venus type atmosphere.  And sorry, I am very humbled with your degrees but I SEE this stuff everyday and critical thinking tells me NOT WATER VAPOR.  Please promise me that you'll let me know if you've changed mind.  
> **username_0**: So what explanation do you give for all the patents for 'seeding' or geoengineering our weather that go back to the '20's?  
> **username_0**: What explanation are you going to give me to explain WHY the 'persistent' contrails can stop and start on a dime?  Please don't use 'warm air layers'...we are talking about STOPPING and starting again without any trace of change from one temp to another...do you pilots just turn off the engine and then turn it on again?  My daddy was a big time pilot...btw.  And btw there are now people putting up billboards about chemtrails.  What the heck would motivate someone to put up expensive bill boards about a NON ISSUE?  
> **username_5**: @username_0 water is a better GHG than CO2 (and so is methane) but the H20 vs CO2 thing is a feedback vs forcing mechanism (see other Qs on this site for details).  No one is debating "seeding" or geoengineering weather attempts, we are merely telling you that contrails are unrelated to these activities.  Contrails actually do not abruptly start/stop, the edges are quite diffuse, you just can't notice that observing them from 6 - 7 miles away.  Water vapor is stratified in layers and horizontally can have sharp gradients (see satellite water vapor imagery).  

---

