A remarkable snowfall to the painter on the ground that stops operations by one of the world’s first telescopes, and climate change can face worse events during this future.
The snow worn part of Atacama desert, that distides an inch of rain every year and home at the atacama large millimeter / submillimeter array (Alma), a large network of radio telescopes in northern Chile.
Snowfall occurred at Alma’s operational support facilitylocated at a height of 9,500 feet (2,900 meters) and about 1,050 kilometers (1,700 kilometers) north of Santiago. Science operations have been suspended since Thursday (June 26).
“There’s no snowfall record at base camp over more than 10 years. It’s not snow every day in Alma!” Alma representatives told live science by whatsapp.
Alma’s Larestrones Packing at the top of Chajnitor Plateau – a desert field of 16,800 feet (5,104 m) in Antofagasta Region in Chile – usually saw three snowfalls in a year. The long plate shared by Chile, Bolivia and Peru often experienced snowstorms in two seasons: in February, “allowed to wet mass of air from Amazon; and from June to the Southern Hemisphere, said Raúl LambA climatologist at the University of Santiago.
“In the winter, some storms were stimulated by the moisture, which could have expanded rain even at the seashells of Atamaa in Atamaa,” Lambo told live science. Over 16,400 feet (5,000 m), annual snowfall from 8 to 31 inches (20 to 80 centimeters).
However, the snowfall of 3,000 meters (9,840 feet), where the base of the Alma base is located, “more often,” as the Lamb.
The snow of snow this week has been triggered by an unusual atmospheric condition that affects Northern Chile. the The Meteorological Meteorological Director Released a snow and air alert due to the passage of a “cold core” in the region, said meteorologist Elio Churh. “We are issuing an air alert for Antofagasta Region and places in addition to the north, with gusts that come in 80 to 100 km / h (50-62 mph),” Local press.
The innovation is accompanied by heavy rainfall that occur ahead of the north, causing a river flowing and injurious to many assets. Schools were commanded to closeand Power outages and landslides are reported. So far, casualties have not been charged. An event during this size is not found in about a decade.
Severe conditions alma paralyze
Until Friday, Alma reports live science that snowstorm remains active on top of Chajnantsor Plateau, So scientific surgery continues to be suspended to protect antennas from severe weather conditions. Early Thursday morning, the observatory activated “Survivatory Mode”
As part of this protocol, all Alma antennae are reloried below, helping minimize potential damage from snowfall or gust.
“When the hurricane passes, cleaning snow-cleaning is immediately activated by each interview each antenna before maintaining observations,” Alma Representatives. “It should happen, because some of the best observation situations occur after a snowfall: cold helps the air in the air, which is the most distracting our measurements.”
Alma, consisting of 66 high-ecrrayment antennae spreads across Chajnittor players, an international collaboration that makes the most powerful Telescope on the radio On the planet – and one designed to handle serious events during this.
The fact that snow-stop operations have raised questions about array surgery as climate smirts.
Atacama desert typically only receives 0.04 to 0.6 inches (1 to 15 millimeters) to rain each year, and many places can record any scale of rain or snow.
Can events like this more often? “That’s a good question,” Lamb replied.
While too early to link the least rainfall of rainfall in the desert deserts desert directly with climate change, “Climate models predict a potential increase in rain Even in this hyper-arid region, “he finished.” We can’t say with certainty when progress has begun. “
This article was originally published in Live science. You can read the original article here.
