The Element of Being Paid To Make It Rain
A method of modifying the weather called “cloud seeding” aims to increase cloud-based precipitation. The ratio of rainwater reaching the ground to water vapour entering the cloud base, or cloud precipitation efficiency, is frequently noticeably less than unity. After World War II, the concept of cloud seeding was first proposed as a way to artificially boost precipitation efficiency. Despite numerous scientific uncertainties, cloud seeding has become a widely used technique in a number of arid parts of the world.
However, a small number of people have contracts with governments, farmers, and business owners all over the world to boost rainfall or snowfall through cloud-seeding. A few of these contracts for weather modification have been in effect for many years.
Though their profession is still modest, cloud seeders have a surprising capacity to control the weather, and most of the American West needs more precipitation. Water shortages can be lessened, but not entirely resolved, by them.
Even while cloud seeding was discovered with great enthusiasm by scientists, it did not immediately lead to a brave new world where corporations and governments could manipulate the weather.
The Boeing B-17 aircraft that was flying towards the centre of a hurricane that was 350 miles offshore from Jacksonville, Florida, in late 1947 caused a PR disaster for cloud seeding. By draining the clouds away from populated areas, cloud seeding could scatter storms before they made landfall. However, the hurricane did not disperse and struck Savannah, Georgia, with full force.
On a related note, supporters struggled to refute scepticism regarding its genuineness.
How Do Countries Use Cloud Seeding To Make It Rain?
While some nations welcome it for environmental and agricultural reasons, others move warily because they are aware of the possible repercussions. It is being effectively used by nations like Thailand and the Russian Federation to put out wildfires and heat waves, and by the USA, China, and Australia to maximise water use during rainfall to mitigate droughts. The technology is actively being employed in the United Arab Emirates to combat extreme heat and increase agricultural capacities.
Applications include regulating hail in agriculture, improving snowfall at ski resorts, and producing rains to mitigate droughts. It is utilised by ski resorts to increase snowfall, hydroelectric businesses to increase spring runoff, and it even helps clear fog, improving visibility at airports. Cloud seeding reduces hail damage by modifying the composition of clouds that produce hail in areas like Alberta, Canada.
Recent In News
Last week witnessed a deluge of water over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to storms that dumped almost a year and a half’s worth of rain in a matter of hours, flooding roadways and the international airport located in the city of Dubai. On social media, there was a lot of conjecture relating this sharp shift in the local weather to cloud seeding.
It was described as “a historic weather event” by the state-run news agency WAM, surpassing “anything recorded since the beginning of data collection in 1949.” That was before to the discovery of crude oil in the Gulf nation rich in energy.
The theories that the downpour was produced by cloud seeding have been refuted by experts and officials.
According to a former Chief Scientist, they would always have water if cloud seeding worked that way. He said that it is impossible to produce rain and obtain six inches (152.4 mm) of water out of thin air. Experts think that the deluge was probably caused by a typical weather system that was made worse by climate change.
The Risks of Cloud Seeding
Particles of silver iodide are injected into the atmosphere, increasing particulate matter concentration and acting as a catalyst for other pollutants. It has drawn criticism for being a possible health hazard while attempting to regulate the weather. Misuse of chemicals, such as silver iodide, has the potential to cause environmental pollution that could have a negative impact on human health and natural ecosystems.
It’s critical to recognise that cloud seeding only modifies specific clouds; it has no effect on the intricate patterns of large-scale weather and climate phenomena. It certainly helps immediately with soil and water, but a closer examination reveals a complex link that may have an impact on nearby ecosystems.
Conclusion
Cloud seeding is used in about 50 nations, including the US, Australia, China, Germany, UAE, Malaysia, Mexico, India et al. Ultimately, the discussion surrounding cloud seeding is still as lively and erratic as the weather it seeks to affect, as public and commercial organisations assess the advantages and disadvantages. Playing with clouds is not the only thing at stake; it’s also about striking a careful balance between advancement and the possible dangers of meddling with nature.
