Salt seeds clouds in the Amazon rainforest
Monday, September 10, 2012 - 16:00
in Earth & Climate
It's morning, deep in the Amazon jungle. In the still air innumerable leaves glisten with moisture, and fog drifts through the trees. As the sun rises, clouds appear and float across the forest canopy ... but where do they come from? Water vapor needs solid surfaces to condense on. Airborne particles are the seeds of liquid droplets in fog, mist, and clouds.