Drought is a real environmental problem. It is no joke. Drought causes several health risks most common of which is dehydration. So this problem should be solved to avoid long term issues. So cloud seeding offers a solution for this problem. Would you believe it can be used worldwide? Controlling the weather seems like fiction. Let me clear that controlling the weather is not possible. However, we can influence weather. In this article we are going to explain what cloud seeding is and how it works.

So the question is “What is cloud Seeding”

It is an artificial way of producing moisture in the clouds. This weather alteration is similar to farmer sowing seeds to grow them into crops. Similarly, the clouds are seeded with potassium iodide, silver iodide and dry ice to make rain. These chemicals cause precipitation in the clouds. The frozen droplets form as a result defrost into rain drops as they fall from the clouds.

The best way of spreading chemicals into the clouds is through planes. Although the other way is shooting chemicals into the clouds from earth.

How does rain fall start?

The rain fall starts due to the formation of ice crystals from extremely cooled cloud droplets. The temperature of the cloud droplets is equal to freezing temperature (0 degree Celsius). What silver iodide does is increase the growth of ice particles.

Does it really work? 

This procedure will work or not totally depends on the clouds which have potential to rainfall. Before seeding it is hard to make sure that the clouds will rain without a chemical trigger.

Requirement for Cloud Seeding

Atmospheric temperature along with clouds that have potential to rain is a key condition for cloud seeding. The water vapors present in the nuclei of salt and dirt result in condensation thus clouds are formed. These nuclei caused the formation of rain drops. So cloud seeding helps increase the amount of those nuclei. Dry environment is also a necessary condition.

Therefore, in countries with dry environments like UAE and Australia cloud seeding proved efficient. The officials of UAE claimed that they have formed 50 storms using cloud seeding in Abu Dhabi.

What are the benefits of cloud seeding?

It carries much importance in areas with suspended water in the air and are at risk of drought. These areas still have water held in air that can be used to generate rain. So in areas with little rainfall cloud seeding is proving effective. The science behind the procedure is quite simple. The held up water in the air can is pulled by seeds – the chemicals crystallize the water forming ice crystals. It decreases crop destruction.

Is there any disadvantage of cloud seeding?

It is quite an expensive procedure. It is performed on clouds with already signs of rainfall, there is no surety that it will cause rain. The compounds used in the procedure can harm the ecosystem. It has the ability to change the weather pattern.

Who invented cloud seeding? 

Vincent Schaefer invented the procedure of artificial rain. He experimented his idea in 1946 for the very first time. In lab condition Vincent somehow managed to generate a snowstorm. In the 1960s, the scientists from the United States completed a project named “Stormfury” whose aim was to weaken the cyclones. But this method was found ineffective as hurricanes don’t contain water vapors that can be bound with chemicals.

It can also work in reverse 

Yes! Cloud seeding can work in reverse means it can help in stopping the rain too. China claimed that in 2008 they used this process in reverse to stop rain forming in the Beijing Olympics.

So the process is a bit of science fiction but in reality it works well. That’s why it is mind-blowing.