Atmospheric Chemistry

As turboprop and jet aircraft climb or descend under certain atmospheric conditions, they can inadvertently seed mid-level clouds and cause narrow bands of snow or rain to develop and fall to the ground, new research finds. Through this seeding process, they leave behind odd-shaped holes or channels in the clouds, which have long fascinated the public. The key ingredient for developing these holes in the clouds: water droplets at subfreezing temperatures, below about 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15...Read Full Story

WASHINGTON : Pollution from Asia’s booming economies rises into the stratosphere during the monsoon season then circles the world for years, according to a report out on Thursday. A study by the Boulder, Colorado-based National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) said the strong air circulation patterns linked to Asia’s monsoon rainy season serves as a pathway for black carbon, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants to rise into the stratosphere. The stratosphere is the layer...Read Full Story

Monsoon rains, vital for farm output and economic growth, may arrive 10 days before the usual date current weather conditions indicate, a widely consulted former weather director said on Tuesday.”This year the monsoon may hit the Kerala coast a week to ten days ahead of schedule,” said P.V. Joseph, a former director at the India Meteorological Department and professor emeritus, department of atmospheric science, at the Cochin University of Science and Technology. Joseph said the forecast was...Read Full Story

Atmospheric scientists at Colorado State University have discovered that an abundance of aerosol particles are needed to help form ice crystals in clouds, which can influence precipitation and climate change. A lot of large particles of dust and pollen in the atmosphere may make your nose twitch, but they can lead directly to greater precipitation in clouds, Colorado State University atmospheric scientists have discovered for the first time. The amount of ice crystals necessary to form...Read Full Story

Pollution in the stratosphere is clearly visible in this image in the thin red line. Credit: NASA The economic growth across much of Asia comes with a side effect: pollutants from the region are wafting up to the stratosphere during monsoon season. The new finding, in a study led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., provides additional evidence of the global nature of air pollution and its effects far above Earth's surface. Results of the...Read Full Story