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Do April flowers bring May showers?

By Melissa Benmark • May 8, 2015

Dr. Alison Steiner
Credit Courtesy University of Michigan College of Engineering

Think about an everyday substance like pollen. There’s lots of it floating around right now. It’s probably on your car windows. Botanists think of pollen’s role in the world as helping propagate new plants. Allergists think of pollen’s role as being something that causes sneezing.

A climate scientist at the University of Michigan thinks that pollen, when broken down by moisture, may actually play a role in helping raindrops form.

Current State's Melissa Benmark speaks with Dr.  Allison Steiner, an associate professor of atmospheric science at the University of Michigan who led a recent study looking at pollen’s role in the atmosphere.

Tags: 
Michigan environment
Environment

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