Climate researchers want to use measurement flights to clarify the effects of ice clouds on global warming.
To do this, they look at both the contrails of airplanes and the natural ice clouds in the Arctic, as the University of Leipzig announced.
The flights should find out, among other things, how flight routes could be planned to be less harmful to the climate.
With the research aircraft "HALO" of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) around 25 flights from Central Europe to the Arctic are planned.
According to the university, ice clouds can have two effects: on the one hand, they can reflect the sun's rays into space - which has a cooling effect - and on the other hand, they can keep the heat radiation from the earth in the atmosphere - which has a warming effect.
These effects can unfold both the natural ice clouds and the so-called contrail cirrus.
The latter even contribute more to global warming from air traffic than its carbon dioxide emissions.
At a height of eight to 14 kilometers
The measurements are intended to contribute to the more climate-friendly planning of flight routes.
Contrails would occur to different degrees in different weather conditions.
Reducing and avoiding contrail cirrus is therefore "a very promising approach to making air traffic climate-friendly," explained DLR researcher Christiane Voigt.
In addition, the aim is to find out what role ice clouds play specifically in warming the Arctic.
The research aircraft "HALO" has extensive measurement technology for remote sensing of clouds and contrails on board.
The flight routes should run at a height of eight to 14 kilometers.
The research team includes 70 scientists from nine institutions.
Results of the mission are expected in 2022.