Methodology & Data

What exactly is cloud seeding, how does it work, and is it viable?

Materials Used in Cloud Seeding

Silver iodide

Silver iodide (AgI) nuclei help form snowflakes in clouds by creating bases for water to condense on.

Salts

Table salt, among other chemical salts, can also be used to form bases for water in clouds.

Dry Ice

Dry ice supercools water, initiating the precipitation process in clouds.

3 Steps of Aerial Cloud Seeding

The Process

First discovered in 1946, Vincent J. Schaefer, Bernard Vonnegut, and Irving Langmuir of America discovered that dry ice and silver iodide (AgI) could be used to generate ice crystals in clouds, encouraging precipitation. This concept was then further developed on as technology continued to advance, eventually culminating in the modern process in which a solution of salts, usually silver iodide, is burnt at ground-level or released from aircraft, reaching a cloud system and encouraging the production of snowflakes that then start the precipitation process. Dry ice, or solid carbon dioxide, is also used to promote the precipitation process by allowing water vapor to condense and form water droplets or snowflakes.

The Numbers

Over time, cloud seeding experiments have borne fruit, showing successful and statistically meaningful increases of monthly precipitation of 10% or more in select areas across the globe. Though effectiveness drastically differs based on local conditions, it is evident that cloud seeding is a legitimate technology with genuine effects. However, despite countries increasingly pushing it as a solution to drought conditions and adverse weather conditions, the negative effects of this technology still remain a concern. Several countries that prominently use the technology are featured below.

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates are one of the foremost leaders in researching and developing cloud seeding technology, pushing its use heavily.

China

China currently possesses the largest cloud seeding system in the world and uses it extensively across its territory.

United States

The United States has been researching cloud seeding technology for use in its dry western states, hoping to alleviate intensifying drought conditions.

Reference

Auf der Maur, A., & Germann, U. (2021). A re-evaluation of the Swiss hail suppression experiment using permutation techniques shows enhancement of hail energies when seeding. Atmosphere, 12(12), 1623. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12121623

Ku, J. M., Chang, K.-H., Chae, S., Ko, A.-R., Ro, Y., Jung, W., & Lee, C. (2023). Preliminary results of cloud seeding experiments for Air Pollution Reduction in 2020. Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13143-023-00315-7

Li, D., Zhao, C., Yue, Z., Liu, C., Sun, Y., & Cohen, J. B. (2022). Response of cloud and precipitation properties to seeding at a supercooled cloud‐top layer. Earth and Space Science, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.1029/2021ea001791

Park, M.-G., Kang, H.-S., & Kim, Y.-J. (2023). A study on the effectiveness of SCD seeding fog dissipation mechanism using LIDAR sensor. Fluids, 8(6), 185. https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids8060185

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