E-CONTRAIL 2 is a SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking project that builds on the research carried out in the E-CONTRAIL project (2023–2025), which focused on contrail detection, radiative forcing estimation, contrail outbreak forecasting, and monitoring. The project also leverages advances from related European initiatives, including CICONIA and ContrailNet, as well as recent contrail detection efforts undertaken in the United States.

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Our ambition is to combine artificial intelligence and atmospheric science to better understand and quantify the radiative forcing of contrails and aviation-induced cloudiness across Europe. To achieve this, we will integrate data from a wide range of observational platforms, including multispectral imagers on geostationary (GEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, LIDAR and RADAR instruments on LEO satellites, and ground-based infrared and visible cameras.

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The overarching goal of E-CONTRAIL 2 is to deliver an open, end-to-end capability for detecting, tracking, and quantifying the climate impact of contrails and aviation-induced cloudiness in Europe. By combining a harmonised multi-sensor observation framework with physics-informed machine learning models, robust radiative forcing estimation methods, and an interactive decision-support dashboard, the project will significantly reduce current uncertainties surrounding contrail climate effects. In doing so, E-CONTRAIL 2 will provide aviation stakeholders and policymakers with actionable, geospatially resolved insights to support effective mitigation strategies and more sustainable aviation operations.