Delhi’s Environment Minister highlighted the importance of collaborating with various agencies to expedite approvals for cloud seeding.
What is Cloud Seeding?
- Cloud seeding is a technique aimed at artificially inducing rainfall by introducing particles such as silver iodide into clouds.
- These particles serve as nuclei around which moisture can condense, ultimately forming rain droplets.
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How Does It Work?
- Seeding Materials: Common materials include silver iodide, potassium iodide, dry ice, or liquid propane.
- Delivery Method: Seeds can be dispersed using aircraft or ground-based sprayers.
- Condensation Process: The introduced particles encourage the condensation of smaller water droplets into larger ones until they become heavy enough to fall as rain.
Applications and Examples
- India: In Solapur, Maharashtra, cloud seeding reportedly increased rainfall by about 18%.
- UAE: The technique has been employed to enhance rainfall in arid regions.
- China: During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, cloud seeding was used to improve air quality
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- Reduction of Air Pollution: Raindrops generated through cloud seeding can capture airborne pollutants, including particulate matter.
- Forest Fire Control: Helps in managing and suppressing forest fires.
- Fog and Hail Management: Useful for fog dispersal and reducing hail damage.
- Agricultural Support: Initiatives like Karnataka’s “Project Varshadhari” in 2017 have aimed to provide essential moisture for crops.
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- Moisture Requirements: Adequate moisture in clouds is essential for successful seeding.
- Environmental Risks: Concerns over the bioaccumulation and toxicity of seeding materials like silver iodide.
- Weather Pattern Alteration: Potential changes to local weather patterns could arise from cloud seeding.
- International Relations: Cloud seeding in one area may impact neighbouring regions, leading to disputes.
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Role of Rainfall in cleaning air
- Absorption: As raindrops fall, they absorb pollutants like particulate matter (PM), sulphur oxides (SOx), and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
- Chemical Reactions: When raindrops encounter pollutants, they can undergo chemical reactions that transform these harmful substances into less harmful compounds.
- For example, sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides can react with water and other atmospheric components to form sulfuric and nitric acids.
- Washout: The raindrops, now laden with pollutants or their transformed products, wash these substances to the ground. This process is known as “washout.”
- Scrubbing: As raindrops fall through the atmosphere, they can also scrub the air of pollutants by physically colliding with and removing them. This process is called “scrubbing.”
October 11, 2024
