Rain clouds in the making

In what could be termed as a breakthrough in tropical weather research, Indian scientists have simulated the formation of rain-bearing cumulus clouds in laboratory conditions.
The research opens up avenues for the scientific community to ‘develop’ clouds that bring rain, holding much promise for possible greening of arid regions of the world in future.

The achievement is significant considering that simulating the functions of a cumulus cloud in lab conditions remained a major challenge in tropical meteorology for the past five decades.
The research, led by Indian aerospace scientist and expert on fluid dynamics Prof Roddam Narasimha of Bangalore-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, is expected to get a fillip through the October 12-launched Indo-French MeghaTropiques satellite.

“We have not simulated a cloud in the sense of a mass of free air with water vapour, liquid water droplets and ice particles. The clouds that we simulated do not — at least as of now —  have any form of rainfall associated with it. What we have simulated is a cloud flow whose dynamical features are similar to those of cumulus clouds in the atmosphere,” Prof Narasimha, who is also a member of the Space Commission and co-chairs the Joint Steering Committee and the Joint Scientific Working Group for MeghaTropiques, told DNA.