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Science: in Puy-de-Dôme, a laboratory to better understand clouds
Science: in Puy-de-Dôme, a laboratory to better understand clouds – (France 2)
The composition of the clouds remains largely mysterious. In Puy-de-Dôme, scientists are working to capture water from clouds to better understand what makes them up.
Clouds cover 60% of the Earth. Surprising in their shapes, sometimes disturbing, they still remain very mysterious for science. To study them, there is a unique place in France, at more than 1,400 meters above sea level: the summit of Puy de Dôme. To reach it, scientists must take a route that is usually inaccessible. From autumn, the hunt for clouds is open. “It shouldn’t rain too much, it shouldn’t be too windy, it shouldn’t be too cold. It’s very difficult to capture clouds at the top of the Puy de Dôme”explains Laurent Deguillaume, from the Physical Meteorology laboratory.
A cloud vacuum
On the roof that day, a cloud vacuum cleaner was installed. “It’s a big box, with a fan that allows the clouds to come in” in the device. Cloud droplets enter it, then flow through a funnel and fall into a bottle. A few hours later, 300 milliliters were collected and taken to the laboratory in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme).
