For more than 50 years it has been known that aircraft can punch large holes or carve out canals inside clouds as they pass through them – but no-one had been able to explain exactly why this happens. Now researchers in the US have identified the cause by comparing satellite images of clouds with the results of computer modelling. They say that the phenomenon could lead to extra precipitation in the vicinity of major airports.
Humans can encourage rain or snow by “seeding” clouds – dispersing small particles into the atmosphere. These particles act as nuclei onto which droplets of liquid water inside clouds can freeze, producing ice crystals that, when large enough, fall to Earth in the form of snow or rain. These droplets often exist in a “supercooled” state at temperatures as low as –38 °C and the introduction of particles into clouds raises this minimum temperature.
Categories: Science and Technology, Technology, Weather