The word "rain" is very firmly established in our vocabulary. Saying it, people rarely think about how many interesting facts are hidden in it. Moreover, some do not even know how exactly the raindrops so familiar to us appear.
But humanity should thank nature for this wonderful gift. If it wasn't for the rain, our planet would look much gloomier now. And who knows, perhaps without it, life itself could not have been born. Therefore, let's talk about what rain is and what its role is in the Earth's ecosystem.
Continuous cycle of life
It so happened that many processes in this world have their own cycle. For example, the alternation of seasons or the change of day and night. The same applies to water, which is in a circular motion. It is thanks to this order of things that the world was able to transform from a hot desert into an oasis filled with all kinds of life forms.
And rain is one of the most important factors that contributed to the birth of all life. After all, if it were not for him, the first trees would not have sprouted on the surface of the Earth, giving our planet the opportunity to acquireown strong atmosphere. And she, in turn, made it possible for the first marine inhabitants to come ashore, which forever changed the course of world history.
But let's leave the emergence of all living things behind and talk about what rain and wind have given us. After all, it was the first that allowed people to harvest a large crop, because otherwise it would simply dry up. But the wind carried rain clouds around the world, thanks to which it rained even where there were no own rivers and lakes.
What is rain?
In fact, everyone knows how to describe this atmospheric phenomenon, because everyone has seen it. So, it would seem that everything is very simple: rain is drops of water falling from the sky. But the question is: how do they get there? Or why do they fall back from there?
It all starts with the fact that under the influence of heat, the water begins to evaporate. And since steam is much lighter than air, it rises. But the higher it is, the colder the space around it becomes.
When the temperature becomes critical, the steam condenses again into small drops of moisture, which, as it were, hang in the air, turning into white clouds. However, over time, the amount of water increases, and the harmless cloud begins to turn into a gray cloud. And at one point, all the moisture breaks out, turning into a full-fledged rain. This happens most often when gray clouds collide with a very cold air stream that can quickly cool the condensate that has accumulated in it.
How does it rain?
It should also be remembered that there are different types of precipitation. Some of them fall out more often in summer, while others, on the contrary, fall and spring. So let's look at the most common types of rain:
- Drizzle is small droplets of moisture that seem to hang in the air. They are almost invisible to the normal eye and most often appear in early spring or late autumn.
- Downpour - very heavy rain, they just say about it: "It pours like a bucket." But at the same time, showers quickly end, as the supply of heavenly moisture disappears in a matter of minutes.
- Forcing rain is the hallmark of Russian autumn. Sometimes it seems that the drops falling from the sky will never stop. Can go from two days to several weeks.
- Mushroom rain - this is what people call short-term precipitation, in which the sky or the sun can be seen.
- Freezing rain is a fairly rare occurrence, occurring mostly in late autumn when it's cold outside.
Rainy season
The hotter the climate, the more moisture collects in the atmosphere. In this regard, in tropical regions there is such a thing as the rainy season. This is a special period of the year with a huge amount of rainfall.
For a country where the average temperature is 40-45 degrees, it's like a breath of fresh air. In addition, the rainy season plays a very important role in the ecosystem of the tropics, without it, all living things quickly wither from excessive heat.
Often, each region has its own calendar, inwhich marks the approximate dates of the arrival of celestial showers. For example, in India, this happens at the end of June, and in Thailand, the rainy season falls at the end of May.
A drop of tar in a barrel of honey
However, despite the fact that rain is an integral part of life, it can still bring terrible troubles with it. So, prolonged downpours lead to floods and floods, which threatens to destroy those towns and cities that are located next to large bodies of water.
Or, due to prolonged rains in the mountains, mud avalanches may come down. Such precipitation can pretty much spoil the landscape at the foot of the rocks. Not to mention the fact that they can easily crush wild animals or people who dare to stand in their way under a wave of mud.
Also often with rain comes lightning. Probably, many can recall several cases when this sparkling beast got into a residential building or a transformer. Moreover, there are thousands of stories of people being struck by lightning, resulting in death.
