permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

Pollution yields longer-lasting storm clouds
http://phys.org/news/2013-11-pollution-yields-longer-lasting-storm-clouds.html
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"In addition, the team found that in clean skies, the heavier ice particles
fall faster out of the anvil-shaped clouds, causing the clouds to
dissipate. However, the ice crystals in polluted skies were smaller and too
light to fall out of the clouds, leading to the larger, longer-lasting
clouds.

Lastly, the team estimated how much warming or cooling the storm clouds
contributed. Overall, the polluted clouds cooled the day and warmed the
night, decreasing the daily temperature range.

Most models don't simulate convection well, take into account the
microphysical processes of storm clouds, nor address how pollution
interacts with those processes. Accounting for
pollution<http://phys.org/tags/pollution/>effects on storm clouds in
this way could affect the ultimate amount of
warming predicted for the earth in the next few decades. Accurately
representing clouds <http://phys.org/tags/clouds/> in climate
models<http://phys.org/tags/climate+models/>is key to improving the
accuracy of predicted changes to the climate."


Read more at:
http://phys.org/news/2013-11-pollution-yields-longer-lasting-storm-clouds.html#jCp