3
votes
Accepted
What is the relevant phenomenon behind Undulatus/Radiatus cloud formations?
There are a variety of cloud wave patterns, including radiatus, undulatus, and gravity wave clouds. Their causes are not mysterious, but fluid mechanics is rarely simple. When air rises and falls in ...
- 8,445
3
votes
Why we typically see no deeper into an atmosphere for an optical depth of 1?
When the authors say $\tau\approx 1$ they are giving a order of magnitude estimate i.e. $\tau$ is nearer to $1$ than it is to $10$ or $0.1$. On a log scale this would mean $\tau \lt \sqrt{10}$ and ...
- 351k
2
votes
Has a heavier atmosphere and the relocation of oil around the Earth had a measurable effect on the rotation of the Earth?
The effect is minuscule, because:
Oil and gas and coal do not come from "the center of the Earth", they come from relatively close to the surface. The deepest oil wells in existence are &...
- 47.2k
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