(ORDO NEWS) — An unusual phenomenon was discovered by American climatologists over the western Indian Ocean. These are areas of the atmosphere where the moisture content is much higher than in neighboring regions.
This unusual phenomenon, called “atmospheric lake” by scientists, occurred over the western part of the Indian Ocean, where it has been recorded 17 times over the past 5 years.
The formation of an atmospheric lake occurs as a stream of water vapor in areas over which the speed of air currents is approximately equal to zero.
Atmospheric lakes can reach 1,000 kilometers in diameter and several centimeters deep. They can retain moisture for up to a week, causing temperature and pressure fluctuations that usually result in rain.
There is one area of research in climatology that has grown exponentially over the past few decades. This area of atmospheric rivers, which are part of the atmosphere, contain much higher moisture than in neighboring regions.
These regions are typically elongated and narrow, advancing alongside mid-latitude cold fronts and can be hundreds of kilometers wide and several thousand kilometers long.
Recently, climatologists Brian Maps and Wei-Ming Tsai from the University of Miami discovered those “atmospheric lakes” over the Indian Ocean.
A study conducted from 2014 to 2018 prompted them to observe periodic occurrences of isolated accumulations of water in the form of steam that arise from small damp drafts.
Climatologists have discovered a strange climatic phenomenon over the western Indian Ocean. Within 5 years, they identified 17 lakes that redirected huge masses of water from the Indo-Pacific region to areas of East Africa that are characterized by high aridity.
Once in this area, the lakes dumped water in the form of heavy rain. The studies were published on the American Geophysical Union website.
The fact that they did not detect this phenomenon earlier is explained by the fact that the area where they are recorded is not very well studied by climatologists.
Now scientists intend to continue their research in order to study in more detail the causes of atmospheric lakes and find out the mechanism of their formation and movement.
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