Does Worsening Air Pollution Cause More Intense Thunderstorms? Experts Are Trying to Find Out

For the next 14 months, a group of atmospheric scientists from throughout the country will converge on Houston, Texas, to seek answers to a difficult question: Do flecks of soot, dust, smoke, and other particles floating in the Earth's atmosphere have a role in determining the severity of thunderstorms?

The new information might help improve weather forecasting and give essential data for projections about how aerosols will impact Earth's future temperature.

During the intensive research period next summer, scientists from TRACER and partner organizations will also install more equipment near Guy, Texas, southwest of the city. Two tethered balloon systems will carry equipment to monitor winds, tiny aerosol particles, and ozone in the lowest levels of the atmosphere, one at the Guy location and the other at Smith Point on the east side of Galveston Bay. The data collected on the shores of Galveston Bay will be crucial in determining how the bay affects local air circulation.

Anyone who wants to study the data acquired by ARM will be able to do so for free. TRACER data will also be useful in gaining a better knowledge of how storms originate and how long they endure.

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