Surprising Find: Live Bacteria Help Create Rain, Snow & Hail

FBS

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Traditionally, researchers have thought that minerals or other particulates in clouds caused water droplets to glom together until they were large enough to fall as raindrops, snowflakes and hail. The new research shows that a large variety of bacteria, and even fungi, diatoms and algae, persist in the clouds and can be used as precipitation starters, a growing field of study called bioprecipitation. (In order for snow, say, to fall from clouds, particles around which ice crystals can form — called ice nuclei — are needed.)

Mindblowing
:)! http://www.livescience.com/14299-bacteria-create-rain-snow-hail.html
 
I did not know this: Many ski resorts use a commercially available freeze-dried preparation of ice-nucleating bacteria to produce snow as required.[1] This is known as cloud seeding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioprecipitation
 
I knew the catalyst is required for droplets to form or accelerat forming. I didn't expect big bacteria to assume this role, but it make sense. Everything that is hydrophilic can play this role.

Interestingly dirt helps water freeze. Very pure water freezes in -20C. To freeze in 0C water needs catalyst, the dirt/contaminants.
 
Very true, 100% pure water cannot freeze. It needs a nuclei to do so.
 

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