How aircraft make rain (and snow): Planes influence local weather when they take off and land

By David Derbyshire

Last updated at 8:10 AM on 1st July 2011

 

Living near airports might not only lead to residents suffering sleepless nights – they  could also have terrible weather, scientists say.


For aircraft increase the chances of snow and rain when they take off and land, an extraordinary study suggests.


Apparently the effects of jet planes punching through clouds are similar to ‘cloud seeding’ operations, where ice crystals are created in the atmosphere to make it rain.

 


Phenomenon: The hole in this cloud was created by an aircraft flying through a super-cooled cloud creating ice crystals that expand

This picture shows the affect a plane can have. The hole was created by an aircraft flying through a super-cooled cloud. This creates ice crystals that in turn affect neighbouring drops of water. This causes the hole to expand and increase the chances of snow or rain


The findings - published in the respected academic journal Science - are based  on satellite images of clouds around airports and computer models of cloud behaviour.


The side-effect of flying is likely to be most obvious around the world’s  busiest airports, such as Heathrow where more than 1,200 planes land or take off every day.


The phenomenon occurs when aircraft smash through clouds containing 'super- cooled’ water - or water that exists as droplets of liquid at temperatures of  minus 10 C or below.


As an aeroplane passes quickly through a cloud, the air behind the wings and  propellers expands and cools rapidly.


These sudden drops in temperature can be enough to freeze droplets of  super-cooled water - turning them into a stream of ice crystals.


Scientists have found that aircraft punching through the clouds at take off and landing creates an effect which influences weather around airports

Scientists have found that aircraft punching through the clouds at take off and landing creates an effect which influences weather around airports

 

Over time, ice crystals grow and affect neighbouring drops of water - creating a hole in the  cloud that expands for several hours and increasing the chances of snow or rain  on the ground underneath.


Dr Andrew Heymsfield, of the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in  Boulder, Colorado, said aircraft increased the chances of snow when they  punched holes in clouds after taking off and when they created 'canals’ in  clouds when descending.


'Whether an airplane creates a hole or a canal in the clouds depends on its  trajectory,' he said.


'When they climb through a super-cooled cloud layer, they can just produce a  hole. But when they fly level through the cloud layer, they can produce long  canals.'


The study found that super-cooled cloud layers are found with 62 miles of the world’s major airports at least five per cent of the time. The cloud seeding  effects are more noticeable closer to the north and south poles.


The researchers looked at 20 satellite images of cloud cover with holes suspended over Texas on one day in January 2007. Some of the holes were visible  for more than four hours and grew more than 60 miles long.


The team then looked at flight data from the US Federal Aviation Administration  to find out what aircraft had flown in each area, between 4.3 and five miles high, on that day.


They discovered that a range of aircraft can produce holes including jumbo  jets, military planes and private single engine jets.


The researchers say it is unlikely that aircraft affect the global climate.


However, it may increase the need to de-ice planes  more often in the future,  they say. It’s not the first time scientists have linked aircraft to weather.

Earlier this year, a study concluded that condensation trails - formed when the  water vapour from aircraft engines freezes – may be doing more to warm the  planet than the greenhouse gases released from aircraft engines.

The clouds trap heat radiating back from the Earth’s surface, German  researchers reported in the journal Nature Climate Change.

 

The side-effect is more likely to affect areas around the world's busiest airports, such as Heathrow

The side-effect is more likely to affect areas around the world's busiest airports, such as Heathrow

Views: 416

Replies to This Discussion

RSS

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted a blog post

Donald Trump Gives an Amazing Speech on Freeing America from the Stranglehold of the Deep State

President Trump gives an amazing speech addressing all major challenges to restoring the…See More
1 hour ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post What Will happen When Robot Brides Replace Human Marriage?
"Less Prone thanks for your support Buddy! "
1 hour ago
Less Prone favorited tjdavis's video
yesterday
Less Prone posted a photo

Social Engineering 101

That's how it goes.
yesterday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

A Prelude to WW III ? It Seems There We Are Trailblazing Idiocy into More Blood and Destruction!

They're rolling out the 25th Amendment trying to stop Joe Biden from insanely thrusting the US in a…See More
yesterday
Less Prone posted a video

Chris Langan - The Interview THEY Didn't Want You To See - CTMU [Full Version; Timestamps]

DW Description: Chris Langan is known to have the highest IQ in the world, somewhere between 195 and 210. To give you an idea of what this means, the average...
Wednesday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

RFK Jr. Appoinment Rocks the World of the Federal Health Agncies and The Big Pharma Profits!

The Appointment by Trump as Secretary of HHS has sent shockwaves through the federal government…See More
Tuesday
tjdavis posted a video

Somewhere in California.

Tom Waites and Iggy Pop meet in a midnight diner in Jim Jarmusch's 2003 film Coffee and Cigarettes.
Tuesday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's photo
Thumbnail

1 possible 1

"It's possible, but less likely. said the cat."
Monday
cheeki kea posted a photo
Monday
tjdavis posted a blog post
Monday
Tori Kovach commented on cheeki kea's photo
Thumbnail

You are wrong, all of you.

"BECAUSE TARIFFS WILL PUT MONEY IN YOUR POCKETS!"
Monday
Tori Kovach posted photos
Monday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Whatever Happened?

Whatever Happened?  The unsung heroes will go about their dayRegardless of the welcome they've…See More
Sunday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post A Requiem for the Mass Corruption of the Federal Government
"cheeki kea Nice work! Thank you! "
Sunday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post A Requiem for the Mass Corruption of the Federal Government
"Chin up folks, once the low hanging fruit gets picked off a clearer view will reveal the higher…"
Sunday
Doc Vega's 4 blog posts were featured
Nov 16
tjdavis's blog post was featured
Nov 16
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's blog post Replicon Started in Tokyo October 08, 2024
"Your right LP it's insane for sure and hopefully improbable, keeping an open mind. Checking…"
Nov 16
rlionhearted_3 commented on tjdavis's blog post Bill Gates Deleted Documentary
Nov 16

© 2024   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted