Comments on a Paper by E.G. Bowen Entitled "The Influence of Meteoritic Dust on Rainfall". 2

Abstract

In this Journal Bowen (1953) has recently put forward evidence purporting to show that " there is a marked tendency for heavy falls of rain to occur on certain days rather than on others, and for this pattern to be repeated year after year". It is claimed that these days of heavy rain coincide (within a margin of variation of ±2 days) in many parts of the world, and a theory is put forward explaining the supposed phenomenon in terms of world-wide concentrations of dust produced by the impact of known meteor showers on the atmosphere. He suggests that debris from these meteors, partially disintegrated by atmospheric friction at heights of about 100 km, filters down to the tropopause in about 29 days, where it activates or " seeds" rain clouds, so producing heavy rainfall.