Raindrop falling on my window12/30/2023 If you want to make your own mix, use 50% perlite and 50% peat moss. African Violet soil is a great option, which you can easily find at stores even though I know that sounds really specific. SOIL: Since this plant stores water well it is best to use a fast draining soil mixture. I wrote a post on ways to decorate your desk and increase productivity and plants are definitely top of that list! They have so many positive properties. These plants have a very happy presence and are a great addition to any room, especially an office as a pick-me-up for those tough meetings. These plants only get about 12-15 inches tall but they can reward you with dainty, fragrant blooms. Their leaf size, intensity of green, and overall size can vary depending on the conditions they are grown in so don’t be shocked if yours doesn’t look like others. Since they already store water in their leaves, it is easy to overwater these so err on the side of under watering when in doubt. Native to South America’s tropical regions, this plant grows on the jungle floor and therefore likes similar house conditions: bright filtered light, and moderate temperatures with high humidity. This plant is also know as coin plant or coin-leaf peperomia and is commonly mistaken for the popular Chinese Money Plant ( pilea peperomia). Not only are the leaves shaped like a water droplet, they are designed to store water, hence their thickness. You can also submit answers by post to: The Last Word, New Scientist, 25 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ES.The Raindrop Peperomia, scientifically known as peperomia polybotrya, is an easy-to-care-for, charming houseplant known for its fat, thick, shiny leaves that look like a raindrop rolling down your window, something I am fond of in Seattle. New Scientist Ltd retains total editorial control over the published content and reserves all rights to reuse question and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. T o answer this question – or ask a new one – email should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. Perhaps you can console yourself by considering the long and complex odyssey of a raindrop. The water then evaporates, leaving behind what it gathered on its journey. When a raindrop eventually hits a surface, its impact can release the substances it contains. These coalesce to create clouds and ultimately fall as rain. Water droplets in clouds form when water vapour changes into liquid water around a condensation nucleus, such as a tiny particle of dust or soot, or a flake of salt. I can only assume that, even as far from the sea as we are in Leicester, salty aerosols from the huge waves on the coast had been lifted into the atmosphere and then deposited inland by rain. I rubbed some onto my finger and licked it. The same phenomenon happened to me a couple of years ago.Īfter a very big storm with south-westerly gales, our windows and cars were covered in a white residue. It would be interesting to see if the frequency and intensity of desert dust storms increase in a warmer world.ĭust storms in the Sahara can lead to sandy deposits on cars and other surfaces. Saharan dust also delivers vital phosphorus and other fertilisers to the depleted soils of the Amazon rainforest, as well as smaller quantities of these to some other regions. Scientists are experimenting with artificial ocean fertilisation to increase the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This helps remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as part of the biological carbon pump. Because the dust particles make the phytoplankton heavier, they then sink to the ocean floor faster. They do the same job as green plants on land by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Phytoplankton are algae that sit at the bottom of the marine food chain. When it lands in oceans, the dust can provide essential nutrients for the growth of phytoplankton, sometimes creating algal blooms that can be seen from satellites. While it can annoy those who have just cleaned their cars or windows, this dust may help regulate our climate. When the water evaporates, it leaves a fine layer of red dust, which gives the rain its name. A southerly wind can carry this dust to the UK, and any rainfall washes it out of the air and onto Earth’s surface below.
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