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Cosmic Rays Affect Cloud Formation and Climate

08/06/2020 9:42 AM

I found the following very interesting:

Cosmic rays affect cloud formation by ionization of nano-size particles.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-02082-2

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#1

Re: cosmic rays affect cloud formation and climate

08/06/2020 10:10 AM

I believe cosmic dust forms the foundation of most precipitation....

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#2
In reply to #1

Re: cosmic rays affect cloud formation and climate

08/06/2020 12:14 PM

I am sure that all of the micrometeorites that bombard our atmosphere have an effect on cloud formation,but this link is about cosmic rays originating from the universe at large,from distant stars,as well as our own sun.

This is not about precipitation it,is about condensation of the water vapor into visible water .

The condensed water needs a nucleation site,such as dust, to gain enough mass to form droplets large enough to fall as rain.

Water vapor is invisible,only the condensed tiny water droplets are seen as a cloud.

Lightning also produces some "cosmic" rays that could affect the cloud formation.

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#3
In reply to #2

Re: cosmic rays affect cloud formation and climate

08/06/2020 12:41 PM

Perhaps you missed the conclusion....

...."This has lead to the conclusion that no significant link between cosmic rays and clouds exists in Earth’s atmosphere."...

So this cosmic dust that rains down on the Earth constantly, plays a role here...

Raindrops and snowflakes require dust in the atmosphere in order to form because it requires less energy for water or ice to bond to a particle, than to form on their own.

..."A dust particle interacts with electromagnetic radiation in a way that depends on its cross section, the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation, and on the nature of the grain: its refractive index, size, etc. The radiation process for an individual grain is called its emissivity, dependent on the grain's efficiency factor. Furthermore, we have to specify whether the emissivity process is extinction, scattering, absorption, or polarisation. In the radiation emission curves, several important signatures identify the composition of the emitting or absorbing dust particles.

Dust particles can scatter light nonuniformly. Forward scattered light is light that is redirected slightly off its path by diffraction, and back-scattered light is reflected light.

The scattering and extinction ("dimming") of the radiation gives useful information about the dust grain sizes. For example, if the object(s) in one's data is many times brighter in forward-scattered visible light than in back-scattered visible light, then we know that a significant fraction of the particles are about a micrometer in diameter.

The scattering of light from dust grains in long exposure visible photographs is quite noticeable in reflection nebulae, and gives clues about the individual particle's light-scattering properties. In X-ray wavelengths, many scientists are investigating the scattering of X-rays by interstellar dust, and some have suggested that astronomical X-ray sources would possess diffuse haloes, due to the dust.[22]"...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_dust

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#4
In reply to #3

Re: cosmic rays affect cloud formation and climate

08/06/2020 4:07 PM

The second paragraph of the link I provided disputes this conclusion,and further reading explains why ions do affect the condensation for a gas to a liquid form.

Cosmic rays are not the prime cause but do have an effect on condensation of water vapor(an invisible gas) into the colloidal mixture of microscopic water droplets.

In order to form a rain drop,there also has to be a dust particle,or other solid to become the nucleus of the drop.

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#6
In reply to #4

Re: cosmic rays affect cloud formation and climate

08/12/2020 2:59 AM

...."In one form or another water is always present in the atmosphere. However, water molecules in the atmosphere are too small to bond together for the formation of cloud droplets. They need a "flatter" surface, an object with a radius of at least one micrometer (one millionth of a meter) on which they can form a bond. Those objects are called nuclei.

Nuclei are minute solid and liquid particles found in abundance. They consist of such things as smoke particles from fires or volcanoes, ocean spray or tiny specks of wind-blown soil. These nuclei are hygroscopic meaning they attract water molecules.

Called "cloud condensation nuclei", these water-molecule-attracting particles are about 1/100th the size of a cloud droplet upon which water condenses.

Therefore, every cloud droplet has a speck of dirt, dust or salt crystal at its core. But, even with a condensation nuclei, the cloud droplet is essentially made up of pure water."...

https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/formation

I think that hygroscopic properties are mostly molecular, although an ionic charge might enhance that property...

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#5

Re: Cosmic Rays Affect Cloud Formation and Climate

08/07/2020 10:38 AM

So a cloud chamber type response. Makes sense as radiation can create a nucleation site for moisture condensation by striking and ionizing a water molecule.

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#7

Re: Cosmic Rays Affect Cloud Formation and Climate

08/12/2020 11:47 PM
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