Hello and welcome to Science with Kyle.
Today's topic: Atmospheric Rivers
You may have heard of the term "Atmospheric River" if you live in the Western part of the United States, or you're also a weather nerd like me. Atmospheric rivers are narrow regions in the atmosphere that transport water vapor from tropics towards the poles.
They can transport water vapor at 7 to 15 times average daily discharge of the Mississippi River. Once these atmospheric rivers reach land, they rise further up into the atmosphere, cool into water droplets, and fall back to the surface as rain or snow.
Up to 50% of California's annual precipation comes from atmospheric river events. This is great for the drought, but too much precipitation in a short time can also lead to floods and mudslides.
Similar to hurricanes, there is a rating system for atmospheric rivers. While other rating systems focus on only the negative impacts, this scale also incoporates the idea that these events can be beneficial, hazardous, or both.
That's all I have for today. Thanks for watching and stay tuned for more!
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