Atmospheric Sciences & Global Change Division Pollution + Storm
Clouds = Warmer Atmosphere Computer modeling reveals new
insights on interactions between pollution particles and storms
An anvil cloud looms over the Southern Great Plains site
location of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric
Radiation Measurements (ARM) Climate Research Facility. Enlarge
Image Results: For the first time, researchers at Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory have shown that pollution
increases warming in the atmosphere through enlarging
thunderstorm clouds. The scientists conducted a computational
study with resolutions high enough to allow the team to see the
clouds develop. They found that for warm summer thunderstorms,
pollution particles lead to stronger storms with larger, anvil-
shaped clouds, which also last longer. The warming effect
dominated by trapping more heat, especially at night, even
though these larger clouds also reflected more daytime sunlight
warmth back into space. Why it Matters: Clouds are one of the