India is strengthening research in cloud physics, which is crucial for weather modification. Under Project Mausam, a cloud chamber is being established at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.

What Is a Cloud Chamber?

• The cloud chamber was invented by Charles Thomson Rees Wilson in 1911.
• Structure: A cloud chamber resembles a closed cylindrical or tubular drum . Water vapour and aerosols are injected into the chamber.
• Function: Under controlled humidity and temperature conditions, clouds can develop inside the chamber.
• Significance: The facility will allow scientists to study how seed particles form cloud droplets or ice particles.
  • This is vital for understanding cloud formation, precipitation, and weather patterns.

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Significance Of Cloud Chamber  for India

• Enhancing Weather Prediction: The cloud chamber will enhance the study of cloud physics, crucial for better weather prediction models, especially in monsoon-dependent India.
• Cloud Seeding Research: The chamber and ongoing studies will help develop cloud seeding techniques, which can potentially address droughts and water shortages by artificially inducing rainfall.
• Mission Mausam : It focuses on studying cloud properties with an emphasis on the Indian monsoon.
  • India is building the cloud chamber with convection properties essential for studying monsoon clouds.

Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX)

• CAIPEEX is a two-year study conducted during the 2018 and 2019 summer monsoons in Solapur, Maharashtra.
  • The region faces low rainfall due to its position on the leeward side of mountains, away from moisture-laden winds.
• Objective: To develop a cloud seeding protocol, potentially increasing rainfall in rain-deficient regions.

About Mission Mausam

• Mission Mausam is a ₹2,000 crore initiative by the Union Cabinet to upgrade India’s weather forecasting system.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Aim: To enhance India’s ability to predict and respond to extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change.

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