The researchers examined the hailstones using computed tomography (CT) scans and found that even though they appear perfectly round, their inner layers are irregular and their cores are often off-center.
“Computed tomography gives us information about density,” said co-author Javier Martín Waid of the University of Barcelona. Understanding the density makes it possible to identify the different layers of hail that are associated with the stages of storm development. “They also help us better understand the processes involved in hail formation.”
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This is the first time a non-invasive computed tomography approach has been used to study hail, and it may help us predict when deadly storms like the one that hit the Iberian Peninsula in 2022 will occur.
Carme Farnell Barco, lead author of the paper and a researcher at the Meteorological Service of Catalonia, concluded: “We show that the CT scan technique allows the observation of the internal structure of hail without the need to break the samples. “This is the first time that we directly observe the internal structure of hailstones in full, and this information can help us predict the formation of hailstones.”
The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science.
