COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Flights can inadvertently generate rain and snow near airports
Description: Researchers have found that areas near airports can sometimes experience a small but measurable increase in precipitation when aircraft take off and land. The new study is part of ongoing research that focuses on so-called hole punch and canal clouds that form when planes fly through certain mid-level clouds, forcing nearby air to rapidly expand and cool. This causes water droplets to freeze to ice and then turn to snow as they fall toward the ground, leaving behind gaps in the clouds. [Source: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)]
URL: http://www2.ucar.edu/news/4858/flights-can-inadvertently-generate-rain-and-snow-near-airports
Availability: Full Text
Source: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
Publish Date: 6/30/2011
Reading Level: Basic
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