<p>Beyond creating a closed ecological system - that focuses on providing a balanced homeostatic environment - what is the smallest area that could create actual weather events?</p>

<p>If we wanted to engineer a rain fall through simulating the environmental conditions, would the structure need to be the size of a planet and its atmosphere? Can it be achieved in a structure the size of a continent... a state... a sports stadium? </p>

<p>What methods could be used to estimate the minimum size; volume of air, altitude, barometric pressure areas, etc.?</p>

<p>I am trying to understand how to identify a theoretical lower limit of recreating a functional weather system. Not just a simulation of the conditions on a micro scale.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-01T12:46:38.947Z
What size weather event are you talking about? A thunderstorm? A front? A sea breeze? All of these produce rain, but each are different sizes?
BarocliniCplusplus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-01T12:56:01.640Z
@baroclinicplusplus Would you share more about how these distinctions would effect the size of the enclosure?
Eliot G York
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-01T13:05:31.840Z
Sure. If you have a sea breeze, then the size of your enclosure (domain) needs to be between 2 and 2000 kilometers in length to merely fit the entire system in. A low pressure system would be even larger. The bare minimum of reanalyzing (recreating) a system in a domain is fitting the system which you are studying within the domain.
BarocliniCplusplus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-01T13:11:03.893Z
Thanks. I'm going to leave the question open, but will be looking into this for future edits.
Eliot G York
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-02T05:00:49.257Z
The Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC reportedly has its own internal weather system, including clouds & rain.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_Assembly_Building
jamesqf
<meteorology>
What is the minimum area needed to create a functional weather system?
Eliot G York
# What is the minimum area needed to create a functional weather system?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-05-01)

Beyond creating a closed ecological system - that focuses on providing a balanced homeostatic environment - what is the smallest area that could create actual weather events?

If we wanted to engineer a rain fall through simulating the environmental conditions, would the structure need to be the size of a planet and its atmosphere? Can it be achieved in a structure the size of a continent... a state... a sports stadium?

What methods could be used to estimate the minimum size; volume of air, altitude, barometric pressure areas, etc.?

I am trying to understand how to identify a theoretical lower limit of recreating a functional weather system. Not just a simulation of the conditions on a micro scale.

**Tags:** meteorology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What size weather event are you talking about? A thunderstorm? A front? A sea breeze? All of these produce rain, but each are different sizes?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Would you share more about how these distinctions would effect the size of the enclosure?  
> **username_1**: Sure. If you have a sea breeze, then the size of your enclosure (domain) needs to be between 2 and 2000 kilometers in length to merely fit the entire system in. A low pressure system would be even larger. The bare minimum of reanalyzing (recreating) a system in a domain is fitting the system which you are studying within the domain.  
> **username_0**: Thanks. I'm going to leave the question open, but will be looking into this for future edits.  
> **username_2**: The Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC reportedly has its own internal weather system, including clouds & rain.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_Assembly_Building  

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## 0 answers

