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Cloud dissipation during solar eclipse 2024

Press/Media: Public Engagement

Period12 Feb 2024 → 8 Apr 2024

Media coverage

2

Media coverage

  • TitleEclipses clear the clouds! Research suggests solar eclipses have an effect on weather and cloud cover
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletBBC Sky at Night Magazine
    Media typeWeb
    Duration/Length/SizeCirca 684
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date5/04/24
    DescriptionIf you’ve ever been lucky enough to witness a solar eclipse, you’ll certainly have been struck not only by the eery dimming of the light in the middle of the day, but also by the sudden chill in temperature.

    There have also been reports that just before totality, low-level clouds dissipate, raising the intriguing possibility that solar eclipses could also influence regional weather as the Moon’s shadow passes across Earth.

    Victor Trees at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute in De Bilt, and his colleagues, set out to investigate this effect.
    Producer/AuthorLewis Dartnell
    URLhttps://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/solar-eclipses-affect-weather-clouds
    PersonsV.J.H. Trees
  • TitleEclips doet stapelwolken verdwijnen
    Media name/outletNRC
    Country/TerritoryNetherlands
    Date26/02/24
    URLhttps://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/02/26/eclips-doet-stapelwolken-verdwijnen-a4191311
    PersonsV.J.H. Trees

Media contributions

6

Media contributions

  • TitleSolar Eclipse Could Make Some Clouds Perform a Disappearing Act
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletThe New York Times
    Media typeWeb
    Duration/Length/SizeCirca 314 words
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    Date8/04/24
    DescriptionA recent study found that cumulus clouds, the small cotton ball-like ones typical for a sunny day, can dissipate once an eclipse begins. But if the skies are overcast, your view could still be obstructed.
    Producer/AuthorJudson Jones
    URLhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/science/solar-eclipse-clouds-totality.html
    PersonsV.J.H. Trees
  • TitleWhy Clouds Could Disappear As The Total Solar Eclipse Begins
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletForbes
    Media typeWeb
    Duration/Length/SizeCirca 695 words
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    Date8/04/24
    DescriptionAccurate weather forecasts for Monday’s path of totality weren’t available until a few days ago, but scientists have confirmed that cumulus clouds over land begin to disappear almost instantly when a partial solar eclipse begins.

    It’s something eclipse chasers have known for at least 40 years. Still, the publication of a paper in Nature Communications Earth and Environment gives extra credence to the long-observed phenomenon.
    Producer/AuthorJamie Carter
    URLhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2024/04/08/clouds-may-vanish-during-april-8s-total-solar-eclipse-say-scientists/?sh=15cce2782ada
    PersonsV.J.H. Trees, Jay Anderson
  • TitleWhy some clouds vanish during solar eclipses
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletCNN World
    Media typeWeb
    Duration/Length/SizeCirca 1761 words
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    Date1/04/24
    DescriptionIt’s midday, and the sun is high in the sky, a natural cyan canvas peppered with puffy, cauliflower-shaped clouds. With little warning, the clouds cluttering the horizon start to vanish before your eyes. Not long after, the world begins to darken, as the golden orb that sustains life on Earth swiftly disappears from view.

    For the entirety of that sliver of time when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, blocking the star’s rays and causing it to disappear momentarily for those best positioned to bear witness to the rare phenomenon, those fluffy, white masses will stay gone — reforming only once the sun has made its triumphant return.

    That’s at least what scientists expect to take place in swaths of Mexico, Canada and the United States during April 8’s total solar eclipse. If weather permits, those living in the 49 US states where a partial eclipse is expected could also spot some clouds vanishing.
    Producer/AuthorAyurella Horn-Muller
    URLhttps://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/30/world/clouds-vanish-solar-eclipse-scn/index.html
    PersonsV.J.H. Trees, Jake Gristey, Kevin Knupp, S.R. de Roode
  • TitleLow-Level Clouds Disappear During a Solar Eclipse
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletEos
    Media typeWeb
    Duration/Length/SizeCirca 881 words
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    Date22/03/24
    DescriptionCumulus clouds rapidly dissipate as the land surface cools, a finding that has implications for Sun-obscuring geoengineering efforts.
    Producer/AuthorKatherine Kornei
    URLhttps://eos.org/articles/low-level-clouds-disappear-during-a-solar-eclipse
    PersonsV.J.H. Trees, Virendra Ghate
  • TitleThe solar eclipse may drive away cumulus clouds. Here's why that worries some scientists.
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletUSA TODAY
    Media typeWeb
    Duration/Length/SizeCirca 940 words
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    Date26/02/24
    DescriptionScientists say the unusual cloud activity observed during past eclipses has implications for climate engineering efforts to mitigate the effects of global warming
    Producer/AuthorEric Lagatta
    URLhttps://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/02/26/solar-eclipse-cumulus-cloud-impact/72744512007/
    PersonsV.J.H. Trees
  • TitleWolken verdwijnen als sneeuw voor de zon tijdens zonsverduistering
    Degree of recognitionNational
    Media name/outletTechnische Universiteit Delft
    Media typeWeb
    Duration/Length/SizeCirca 530 words
    Country/TerritoryNetherlands
    Date12/02/24
    DescriptionStapelwolken boven land beginnen bijna direct te verdwijnen tijdens een gedeeltelijke zonsverduistering. Dat laat nieuw onderzoek zien van het KNMI en de TU Delft. Tot voor kort resulteerden satellietmetingen tijdens de verduistering in donkere vlekken in de wolkenkaart. Dankzij een nieuwe methode konden de metingen worden hersteld. De resultaten kunnen gevolgen hebben voor climate engineering. Verdwijnende wolken zouden namelijk de afkoelende werking van een kunstmatige zonsverduistering deels teniet kunnen doen. De resultaten zijn vandaag gepubliceerd in Nature Communications Earth and Environment.
    URLhttps://www.tudelft.nl/2024/citg/wolken-verdwijnen-als-sneeuw-voor-de-zon-tijdens-zonsverduistering#:~:text=Stapelwolken%20boven%20land%20blijken%20zeer,van%2015%25%20van%20het%20zonlicht
    PersonsV.J.H. Trees