Cloud Seeding
Context: Billionaire Elon Musk-owned Starlink, which provides satellite internet services, has received regulatory approval from the government, nearly three years after first applying for an operator license, paving the way for the company to start offering the service in the country.
Important Pointers:
Definition: Cloud seeding is a form of weather modification used to enhance precipitation (rainfall) or to disperse fog.
Objective: Enhance rainfall and improve air quality through artificial weather modification techniques.
Techniques:
Silver Iodide Seeding: The most common form, where silver iodide particles are dispersed into clouds to encourage the formation of ice crystals, leading to precipitation.
Sodium Chloride Seeding: Used to enhance rainfall by dispersing salt particles into clouds, typically used in warmer clouds.
Potassium Iodide: Also used for similar purposes, but less common than silver iodide.
Applications:
Enhancing Rainfall: To increase precipitation in drought-prone or arid areas.
Fog Dispersal: Used at airports to clear fog and improve visibility.
Hail Suppression: Prevents the formation of hailstones, reducing damage to crops.
Process: Aircraft or ground-based generators are used to release seeding agents into clouds; The seeding agents act as nuclei, around which water droplets form, eventually growing large enough to fall as rain.
Benefits: • Helps in water conservation by increasing the amount of rainfall in dry areas. • Improves agriculture by enhancing rainfall in drought-prone regions. • Can improve air quality by increasing precipitation that helps settle particulate matter.
Concerns:
Effectiveness: Cloud seeding does not always guarantee rainfall, and its success depends on the pre-existing conditions of the cloud.
Environmental Impact: The long-term effects of chemicals like silver iodide on ecosystems are not fully understood.
Ethical Concerns: Issues arise when cloud seeding is used in one area and affects the weather patterns of neighboring regions.
Global Use: Employed in countries like the USA, China, UAE, and Australia to enhance rainfall and manage water resources.
Recent Developments in India: India has initiated cloud seeding trials in regions like Delhi NCR to address water scarcity and improve air quality. The Delhi Cabinet has approved cloud-seeding trials to help enhance rainfall and reduce pollution.