What is it about?
Scientists built a mini-mountain in a water tank and a wind tunnel to study how warm air rises up slopes. Turns out, it's not a simple updraft, but a swirling, 3D dance of air currents that impact local weather and pollution. This new understanding helps us improve mathematical models that are used to predict weather and manage environmental issues in mountains.
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Photo by Fahrul Razi on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This study's findings raise the intriguing possibility of using strategically placed boulders and mini ramps on mountains around cities. These structures could potentially aid in passively removing pollution by disrupting inversion layers and enhancing mixing, but further research and testing are needed to assess their feasibility and effectiveness.
Perspectives
May this article inspire a mindful observation of the ever-evolving shapes woven by clouds as they ascend mountain slopes.
Roni Goldshmid
California Institute of Technology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Laboratory investigation of nominally two-dimensional anabatic flow on symmetric double slopes, Physics of Fluids, November 2023, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0164984.
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