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#ClimateChange & Precipitation

 

The average rainfall of the plains of Europe is 57.4 centimeters per year. In the mountainous regions, it is over 125 centimeters. Also along the western slope of the Rocky Mountains in the United States, the precipitation is abundant, reaching a total of about 340 centimeters a year in localities. While the interior of the United States, it is much lighter with a record of sometimes 40 centimeters a year in some states. The rainiest regions of the world are probably the lower slopes of the Himalayas. The village of Cherapunji in India, south of the main body of the Himalayas has an annual average rainfall of about 1,082 centimeters. A record breaking twelve month rainfall of 2,646.12 centimeters occurred at Cherapunji from August 1860-July 1861. Also, in August 1841, no less than 3,800 centimeters of rain fell in a five day period is the equivalent of almost four years of rain fall in the state of New York . 

The heavy rainfall in the tropics is due not so much as to condensation of moisture by mountain ranges as by the effect of cold winds pouring in from cooler regions. The line of meeting moves north and south with movement of the sun. When the sun is north of the equator, the cloud belt is in the Southern Hemisphere. The cloud movements from Northern and Southern Hemispheres and back again causes the tropical  wet and dry seasons. 

Now, temperature plays an important part in the precipitation process and if atmospheric temperatures increase due to the increase in the amount of solar energy reaching the earth’s surface, then regions on the earth prone to rainfall will dramatically experience an increased amount of precipitation.

The solar energy that falls on our planet in a single week is greater than the total energy produced by all the coal, gasoline and other fuels that man has ever burned. When it reaches the earth’s atmosphere, much of the radiant energy is reflected and scattered. But part of it passes through the land and oceans. These radiate much of the energy back into space as long wave heat energy as it radiates in the form of short wave radiation. If it didn’t, our climate would grow much warmer or colder over the years which is the case in recent times. 

The activities of man have led to pollution of the atmosphere and this has in turn affected its temperature in different ways . This,  also has brought about major changes in the climate.

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