Particulates, basically charred carbon particles, visible by naked eyes are one of the many components in gases that pollute air. Did you know that?  I hope you did. But did you know that they helped in process of raining as well? I hope you didn’t. Because in this post I am gonna tell each one of you exactly that. So these particulates go up in atmosphere and they get suspended after reaching a certain height. How they get suspended, you ask. Because as you go up the density of air decreases and at one point their weight is exactly balanced by the air surrounding it. Anyway, particulates help in the process of raining by acting as platforms for what is called nucleation. The vapors start condensing on these particulates and make a big enough drop that is heavy enough to drop. Anyway, that is not the end of story.

 

If we have a significant increase in the concentration of these particulates in atmosphere then fixed amount of water vapors will have many particulates to condense on and that can actually result in formation of small water droplets that wouldn’t be heavy enough to fall down. And they will just suspend there. And we won’t get rains. Interesting, no?

 

 

3 comments:

  1. Absolutely - interesting science! but no rains is saddening...

     
  2. yeah. and guess what??! its raining here. :)

     
  3. Congrats! keep smiling :-)