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Kitchen Table Kibitzing: Sept. 22 [1]

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Date: 2022-09-22

x While there has been some flooding, this is mostly good news for California. Davis saw 1.7" of rain in last 24 hours... its average Sept rainfall is less than 0.1": https://t.co/5WZpmbQOly — Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) September 20, 2022

x Not even soaking rain can ease fire risk in a California hit by record heat, dry landscape https://t.co/un0mWsAXNS — Los Angeles Times (@latimes) September 20, 2022

The rain caused me to wonder why cloud seeding isn’t being used more.

Although eight western states currently employ cloud seeding, there is no evidence yet to show it has positive results, but according to the CA Department of Water Resources, currently “Cloud seeding increases the state’s water supply by at least 4% a year.”

Cloud seeding could have many dire consequences to the environment if not well regulated. Dry areas are not usually well-positioned to handle certain weather conditions, and thus, may become easily flooded and cause more harm to the already struggling environment. www.conserve-energy-future.com/…

Explaining the process, Kondala Murali Mohan, a scientist with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Medak), said: “Cloud seeding is a process to create artificial rain. Here, chemicals like silver iodide, potassium iodide and dry ice are sent to the atmosphere through helicopters or planes. These particles attract the water vapour in the air, leading to the formation of cumulonimbus clouds and finally rain. It generally takes half-an-hour to produce rainfall by this method. The time taken to generate rain depends on which portion of the cloud the chemicals are being injected into. Zapping the top layers gives the fastest results.” -snip- “The method can lead to acidification of the oceans, ozone layer depletion and an increase in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Silver is a heavy, toxic metal and it harms the health of plants, humans and animals. Cloud seeding is also a costly method. A foot of rainfall costs around USD 200.” www.news18.com/...

A GREENER OPTION? UAE Uses electricity to generate rain

The Dubai experiment is said to be a greener alternative to the traditional methods as electric charge was administered through battery-operated drones. The rain creation project in Dubai was carried out by University of Reading which was engaged by the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science in 2017. In a release, the university had said: “The electric charge method operates by making the droplets stick to each other, again helping the growth rate. This will also be administered by using aircraft, but small remote-controlled aircraft which are battery-powered and therefore environmentally friendly.”

x Located in one of the hottest and driest places on Earth, the UAE is trying a new method of creating rain through cloud seeding 🌧 pic.twitter.com/6NkIFpI905 — NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 5, 2022

China is deploying 2 huge drones to seed rain amid a record drought that has taken over half the country and hit economic activity

China has deployed two huge drones to seed clouds in the southwestern province of Sichuan where a historic drought has affected hydropower production. The move comes amid a record heatwave that has engulfed swathes of China, covering almost half of the country, according to its National Climate Center. The situation is particularly pronounced in Sichuan, a major hydropower producer that supplies cities like Jiangsu and Shanghai, which are more than 1,000 miles away. To improve the situation, the two drones deployed on Thursday will eventually cover an area in Sichuan spanning 2,317 square miles, according to state-owned CCTV. The cloud seeding operation will be carried out until Monday.

x China on Thursday used its self-developed Wing Loong-2H UAV to assist fight against drought in SW China’s Sichuan. The drone ignited 20 silver iodide flame bars during its 4-hour flight to create "artificial rain" for the drought-hit region. pic.twitter.com/BhMkuWm0GW — People's Daily, China (@PDChina) August 26, 2022

x "Is ‘cloud seeding’ actually helping fight drought?" | I comment in this @PopSci article by @Thor_Benson: https://t.co/y5tjh3fDWT — Prof Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) September 12, 2022

Michael Mann, a distinguished earth and environmental science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, tells Popular Science that he doesn’t believe cloud seeding will be that helpful. “It’s another example of an attempted techno-fix… that at best can only help at the margins,” Mann says. www.popsci.com/...

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/22/2124083/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-Sept-22

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