How do jet trails disappear?

Question

How do jet trails disappear? When an airplane is going through the sky and instead of the jet trail being visible forever it's only visible a few seconds back, what is happening to that jet trail as it disappears?

Answer 1

I would think it is sublimation rather than evaporation.

Great question!

I will contact a fellow CFI that is a past NWS meteorologist to confirm.

edit:

Confirmed, typically the visible moisture is made up of   ice crystals due to the high altitude, (the temps well below freezing)

Answer 2

Evaporation.

It becomes visible due to condensation. The water in the exhaust condenses into small droplets exactly like a cloud. This happens when the air is saturated with water. When it disapears a short time later it is because the exhaust vapour has mixed with surrounding air which is dry enough to bring the overall water concentration down below the saturation piont - then it evaporates and dissapears. If the surrounding air already contains enough water so that the additional water from the jet exhaust puts the quantity above saturation the contrail (condensation trail) will be maintained for longer.

Answer 3

It is dispersing into the atmosphere just like the exhaust from a car.

Answer 4

It is evaporating like steam does out of a factory smokestack.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

They disperse. The humidity and temperature affect the amount of time to disperse.