How studying clouds can further assist in an understanding of climate changes?

To get in-depth analyses on air quality measurements, a joint team of international researchers came together in Greece and participated in a research project namely Cloud-AerosoL InteractionS in the Helmos background TropOsphere (CALISHTO).

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Clouds

According to researchers, changes in climate change can be found by analyzing the process during the formation of clouds in the atmosphere.

The main ambition of CALISHTO research was first to distinguish microscopic air particles also called aerosols, then to identify the results on clouds origination, and lastly to include the new information in climate models so that weather forecasting methods could be improved further.  To initiate their study, researchers reached physically Mount Helmos Greece which is located at the heart of the region of Peloponnese.

Key findings in research examples

The team of researchers pointed out that aerosols play a significant role in cloud formation that without the clouds cannot be formed in the air. Cloud formation varies from one region to another region.

For example, the cloud that forms above the Sahara desert is consist of different air particles because of sand particles in the desert. Usually, before clouds formation, water vapor liquidizes on these particles, then droplets form, and clouds originate in the shape of ice crystals.

The formation of clouds in the air help to reflect solar radiation back into space. That process is also called the Albedo effect.

Sahara desert

In the process of Albedo effect, clouds tend to absorb wavelength radiation that is emitted from the earth's surface.  Thus Clouds formation results in overseeing and disseminating the precipitation and hydrologic cycle processes. Clouds not only provide water in the form of rain but are also beneficial for numerous purposes on earth including agriculture and maintaining ecosystems.

Why researchers have chosen Mount Helmos, Greece?

Because the place of Mount Helmos situated in Greece is renowned particularly for clouds formation, researchers had the opportunity to analyze the accumulation of air particles and to get to know how the properties of clouds change from continental Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Sahara desert.

One researcher had recalled his experience of watching the atmospheric processes that would be helpful in determining the effects of natural emissions of particles and greenhouse gases across the region of the eastern Mediterranean.

Scientists were observing the formation of clouds from all over the world from their research station situated at an altitude of 2,300 meters and the elevated height gave them a great advantage in observing two different layers of air interact, one is called lower one where environmental pollution piles up while the other is called upper one where the air remains unpolluted.

Research instruments for data collection

The international team of researchers used the state-of-the-art research instruments at the research station of Mount Helmos to collect data on below mentioned atmospheric four factors:

1. Air temperature
2. Humidity
3. Wind speed
4. Sunlight

While recording data regarding different gases of Ammonia and Aerosol characteristics, researchers measured the size, number, hygroscopicity, chemical composition, density, optical properties, and biological content.

Cloud Condensation Nuclei was also used by environmental scientists to measure the concentration of aerosol in creation of cloud droplets and ice crystals.

The deployment of LIDARS especially in the field of remote sensing systems for acquiring desired data collection utilized by researchers so that light is sent from lasers into the atmosphere.

Research outcomes

Aerosols could make clouds rain and snow even more intensely

In short the dust particles from the Sahara desert, for example, could significantly increase the attentiveness of ice in clouds and because of this observation, clouds rain and snow.