[Intro]
Storm warning
Alarming
[Verse 1]
The sky grows darker
The wind whips harder
Outlook grows bleaker
Searching for a truth seeker
[Chorus]
Can you explain
What’s happening
Under Man’s domain
Can you articulate
What the primate
Change incorporates
[Bridge]
Severity
A clarity
The way force flows go
You know?
[Instrumental, Guitar Solo, Drum Fills, Bass]
[Verse 2]
The outlook starker
The times grow darker
The question remains
Who sustains?
[Chorus]
Can you explain
What’s happening
Under Man’s domain
Can you articulate
What the primate
Change incorporates
[Bridge]
Severity
A clarity
The way force flows go
You know?
[Instrumental, Saxophone Solo, Piano, Bass]
[Bridge]
Severity
A clarity
Force flows go
(Woe, woe, woe)
Are you aware:
Scale as the square
Of velocity
Look! See.
[Instrumental, Saxophone Solo, Piano, Bass]
[Chorus]
Can you explain
What’s happening
Under Man’s domain
Can you articulate
What the primate
Change incorporates
[Outro]
Are you aware:
Scale as the square
Of velocity
Look! See.
A SCIENCE NOTE
Wind and water flow forces scale as the square of velocity, so as flow speeds increase (say due to more intense heating or heavier rain) the damage scales as the square of the velocity. Look at drag physics and you will see that force is proportional to density times square of velocity (v^2). So a twenty mile an hour wind exerts four times as much force as a ten mile an hour wind. And a forty mile an hour wind exerts sixteen times as much force as a ten mile an hour wind. A wind of fifty miles an hour exerts twenty five times and a wind of sixty miles an hour exerts thirty six times as much force as one of ten miles an hour. Then you have the density term. Water is about eight hundred times denser than air, So the force exerted by a ten mile an hour flow of water is eight hundred times that of a ten mile an hour wind. So as flow velocities go up due to climate change, force and damage scale as square of the velocities. What is not clear is how much these velocities increase with climate change. But in a sense we are seeing this already as, for example, flood and sewage systems succumb and hillsides fall down, and so on.
— from The Reign of Violent Rain / Brouse and Mukherjee (2023)
Climate change is contributing to the formation of darker storm clouds through several interconnected mechanisms. These mechanisms primarily involve increases in atmospheric moisture, changes in temperature patterns, and shifts in atmospheric dynamics:
- Increased Atmospheric Moisture: Warmer temperatures due to climate change cause more water to evaporate from oceans, lakes, and other water bodies. This added moisture in the atmosphere provides more fuel for cloud formation. When this moisture condenses into clouds, it releases latent heat, which can further enhance storm development. The higher moisture content can lead to thicker, denser clouds that appear darker because they contain more water droplets or ice crystals.
- Enhanced Convective Activity: Warmer surface temperatures lead to increased convection, which is the upward movement of warm, moist air. This process is fundamental to the formation of storm clouds, particularly cumulonimbus clouds, which are associated with severe weather. Enhanced convection can lead to the formation of larger and more intense storm clouds that are darker due to their increased density and depth.
- Higher Cloud Tops: As convection becomes more intense, storm clouds can grow taller, reaching higher altitudes in the atmosphere. These high-reaching clouds can become more electrically charged, leading to more intense thunderstorms. The thickness and vertical extent of these clouds make them appear darker from the ground.
- More Intense Storm Systems: Climate change can lead to more intense and frequent storm systems. These storms often produce larger and more numerous cloud particles, which can block more sunlight and make the clouds appear darker. Intense storms are also more likely to contain significant amounts of rain, hail, or ice, contributing to the darker appearance of the clouds.
- Pollutants and Aerosols: Climate change can influence the concentration of pollutants and aerosols in the atmosphere. These particles can serve as cloud condensation nuclei, around which water droplets can form. An increased number of these nuclei can lead to the formation of more and smaller droplets, making clouds appear darker and thicker. Additionally, certain pollutants can absorb sunlight, further darkening the clouds.
Climate change contributes to the formation of darker storm clouds through increased atmospheric moisture, enhanced convection, higher cloud tops, more intense storm systems, and changes in atmospheric pollutants. These factors combine to create clouds that are denser, taller, and more capable of blocking sunlight, leading to their darker appearance.