A massive ice ball plummeting from the sky gives off an apocalyptic vibe rather than signaling a festive white Christmas. Due to climate change, we are witnessing an increase in hailstones larger than a fist descending from above.
A recent analysis of the internal structure of these colossal hailstones has unveiled how they attain such significant size. This breakthrough could assist scientists in predicting hailstorms before they pose a threat.
Hailstones form during storms when raindrops freeze in extremely cold parts of clouds. The particles then grow in size as they descend due to gravity, eventually reaching the Earth.
In a new study, Researchers in Catalonia, an autonomous region in northern Spain, gathered giant hailstones measuring 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) in diameter, equivalent to a soda can in height.
To examine the inside of the hailstones, CT scans were used. While CT scans are commonly used in a medical context to create 3D images of the human body, in this case, a machine borrowed from a dental clinic was utilized to study the structure of the giant ice ball intact.
“We sought a technique that would provide detailed information about the internal layers of the hailstone without damaging the sample,” said senior author Professor Xavier Ubeda from the University of Barcelona. “We were surprised by the clarity of the images we obtained.”
The research team obtained 512 images of the internal structure of a hailstone, known as a “slice,” revealing the density of each layer and illustrating the growth of the hailstones during various stages of the hailstorm.
The study revealed that even the most spherical hailstones have internal irregularities, indicating an absence of a core in the center. Strangely, this was especially true for the nearly perfect-looking sphere, whose center was the most off-center.
Contrary to previous assumptions, researchers found that hailstones do not grow uniformly in every direction.
The hailstones examined were collected after severe thunderstorms in Spain during the summer of 2022, vacuum-packed, and preserved. The hot conditions in Spain during that summer may have intensified the tropical cyclone.
The new findings could aid in predicting similar storms in the future and potentially limiting the damage caused by hail outbreaks.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
