Effects of industrial effluents on local cloudiness and rainfall

Abstract

Industrial effluents alter both the microphysical properties that regulate the rate of production of precipitation and the location and strengths of density and velocity perturbations that regulate the dynamical development of clouds. Therefore, physical mechanisms exist through which industrial activities can modify local weather elements such as cloudiness and rainfall. Snow falling from large cooling tower plumes and the cloudiness spawned by heat rejection are the most obvious manifestations of this control. The extent to which industrial effluents exert control over local weather and climate remains controversial and difficult to quantify. As industrial activity becomes more concentrated, anomalous weather effects could become a problem that will require consideration when planning new facilities. This is particularly true for processes that modify the dynamical properties of the atmosphere by rejecting heat directly to the atmosphere.