Mad Bad Rabbit wrote in message ...
(Jaak Suurpere) wrote:

[ when the Mediterranean was mostly empty ]
However, the air was humid. I have argued that if there was no
large-scale wind capable of blowing the steam away from basin bottom,
the vapour buildup would have favoured radiative heating of basin
bottom since steam is powerful greenhouse gas. Eventually, the vapour
would have caused wet convection - in other words, rainfall probably
in form of thunderstorms.

Eeek! Thunderstorms forming in a saturated 40 deg. C. airmass,
plus an /extra/ 3 km headstart before they rise up to sea-level
(then another 18 km before they finally hit the tropopause.)

However, when the convective cloud reaches the height of 3 kilometres
and approaches the sea level, it would encounter the dry etesian winds
shearing off its top.

Humid air rising only 3 kilometres can definitely reach condensation.
But would such clouds produce thunder?

So, would the Mediterranean Basin be Convective Hell on Earth,
with nonstop F5 tornadoes, basketball-sized hail,

Lack of freezing in clouds would prevent hail.

and lightning
utterly destroying any attempts at plant life and removing all
of the topsoil down to the bedrock?

If there is a bedrock, and some place below to carry th soil.
I suppose that there would be at least some gently sloping plains not
far above the erosion base level.



(Note to self: if Mediterranean ever dries up again, do not visit)

;K