Cloud seeding exposed: The truth behind decades of weather modification

What if we told you that for decades, people have been attempting to control the weather? This is not merely a conspiracy theory, nor is it science fiction. As people wonder about its involvement in the increasingly strange weather patterns of today, cloud seeding—a real technology with a lengthy and colorful history—is making headlines once more.

Let’s start by defining cloud seeding. The technique of cloud seeding is used to increase or decrease precipitation and other weather phenomena. It is crucial to realize that this process is a result of human interference with the weather, for better or worse. Furthermore, drones or airplanes can be used to carry out this intervention; nevertheless, this is but one technique of cloud seeding that has been created throughout the process’s history.

 

 

According to science, cloud seeding is the process of adding substances or particles to a storm system in order to cause precipitation. In addition to sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2), potassium iodide (KI), dry ice (solid CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), bismuth tri-iodide (BiI3), and propane (C3H8), silver iodide (AgI) is the most often utilized compound, according to Earth.org. Moisture can “latch onto” these synthetic compounds because the released particles mimic the development of ice crystals in the clouds, regardless of the composition. Rain subsequently falls from the clouds as a result of the weight of these “nuclei.”

The favored chemical is silver iodide since it resembles natural ice crystals in structure. Moreover, trillions of artificial ice crystals can be created with just one gram of silver iodide. Due to its structural resemblance to ice crystals and its high cost-effectiveness, this chemical is naturally a favorite.

hazy beginnings
Cloud seeding techniques were officially discovered by Vincent Schaefer and Bernard Vonnegut (yep, Kurt Vonnegut’s older brother). Around the same time, they independently found two distinct techniques: one that involved chemically manipulating the clouds to mimic the development of ice crystals, and the other that used dry ice to change the heat of the cloud system. However, cloud seeding ultimately aims to control the ice crystals in the clouds and is achieved in both methods. These techniques were discovered and developed by General Electric in 1946. Both techniques are still in use today, typically employing silver iodide and dry ice, respectively.

Despite the fact that cloud seeding is a technology that has been in use for decades, many of its alleged mainstream applications are banal. Governments utilize cloud seeding to control wildfires, lower excessive heat, increase agricultural production, and augment the water supply in drought-affected areas, according to Earth.org. However, this technique is occasionally used by airports, insurance firms, and ski resorts to disperse fog, reduce hailstorms, and increase snowfall, respectively.

It’s interesting to note that not every use of cloud seeding technology has been so safe. For instance, during Operation Popeye, which lasted from 1967 to 1972, the US military employed cloud seeding techniques in Vietnam. In order to influence military operations during the war, particularly along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, this effort aimed to prolong the monsoon season in North Vietnam, according to a 1972 New York Times article. In order to hamper North Vietnam’s military supply systems and troop/arms movements, it was hoped that the increased rainfall during the monsoon season would result in landslides and road destruction.

Furthermore, the study stated that “many members of the Nixon Administration, who were normally well-informed, had been kept in the dark.” This operation was kept secret even inside the government: “This kind of thing was a bomb, and Henry [Kissinger] restricted information about it to those who had to know,” according to a “well-placed government official.” According to the paper, Henry Kissinger was directly involved in this effort and its government-wide concealment.

Although a 1977 international convention prohibited cloud seeding for military use, this historical example highlights the technology’s many uses, according to Earth.org.

Making it rain
In several experiments, new developments appear to have simplified the cloud seeding procedure. The “United Arab Emirates began to experiment with the use of aerial drones for cloud seeding,” for instance, according to the study. According to the report, “Drones are used to cast an electric charge in this new twist on the old concept.” This employs a laser beam to “zap” clouds, causing water droplets to mix and produce rain. Even while the science underlying this specific experiment is less apparent, it does demonstrate that technology is advancing and that numerous nations are working to improve this procedure. In a broader sense, we can say that this technology is older, explicable, and most definitely not “magic.” However, in typical “Jurassic Park” manner, the ethical discussion should take precedence over the scientific investigation.

The benefits of cloud seeding are numerous. It can increase the amount of water in arid regions, such as areas of China or the Western United States. Additionally, it can influence weather patterns for less practical reasons. China, for instance, claims to have “cleared the skies for the Beijing Olympics by forcing the rain to come early” by using this technology during the 2016 Beijing Olympics. It is said to be able to prevent or reduce hail. Additionally, it may lessen the effects of dangerous weather phenomena like hurricanes and monsoons.

Cloud seeding, though, can have certain drawbacks. First, even while we can affect the weather, we cannot completely control it because it is obviously unpredictable. There was a significant margin of error during the project’s trial phase, according to a government official who was at the time familiar with Operation Popeye: “We used to go out flying around and looking for a certain cloud formation,” the official claimed. And we committed numerous errors. One of our Special Forces camps once received seven inches of rain in two hours.

Second, over extended periods of time, the common substance used in cloud seeding, silver iodide, is somewhat harmful to humans: “Ingestion of silver iodide can result in nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.” Argyria, a disorder where silver deposits in the tissues and turns them blue or gray, can be brought on by prolonged exposure to silver iodide. According to the majority of sources, there is very little silver iodide present in the water created in this manner. It should be mentioned that, even if we take these sources seriously, our evidence is probably going to represent small land areas over a shorter time frame than would be ideal. In other words, we are unsure of the long-term consequences of silver iodide in water for a country with a greater population, such as the United States.

The existence of this technology and its apparent effectiveness is amazing. It truly is an accomplishment of human ingenuity. It is hoped that entities having these skills will make good use of the many potential advantages of this technology. Future advancements in this technology should likewise be better known to us. The long-term impacts and unpredictable nature of weather manipulation raise a number of concerns and uncertainties, in addition to the historical misuses of this technology. Before this technology is advanced or used on a broader basis, these questions need to be addressed. As more people become aware of this fact, hopefully there will be a greater push for an ethical discussion to emerge alongside this amazing scientific achievement. At the very least, we should proceed with extreme caution if scientists are required to “play God,” as some detractors claim.

Watch the video below to learn more about the topic from the “Blaze News Tonight” crew: