Cloud Seeding

[Dr. Shane]

OROUMIEH LAKE, Iran

Quote:

In April, the Iranian government announced a three-prong effort to save the lake: a cloud-seeding program to increase rainfall in the area, a lowering of water consumption by irrigation systems, and supplying the lake with remote sources of water...

Some experts termed the weather control portion of the program as only a “symbolic action” by government...

Many express happiness with the government decision to manipulate clouds in hopes of increasing rainfall.

“It is a good decision. Every evening I look at the dark clouds that are coming and I tell my family soon there will be rain,” and on some nights there have been showers, said Masoud Ranjbar, a taxi driver.

However, Eskandar Khanjari, a local journalist in Oroumieh, called the cloud-seeding plan “a show.” He said recent rainfall was only seasonal, as predicted by meteorologists.

I guess I missed this advance in technology. What is cloud seeding?

[Bravus]

I think they use silver nitrate, but something anyway. Rain falls when the water droplets in clouds come together to form raindrops, and sometimes adding a very fine powder to offer 'condensation nuclei' to help that process along means you can have better control over when and where the rain falls. If it was going to stay in the clouds and fall elsewhere, for example, you can direct some to fall where you want it. It sort of works, depending on a lot of variables.

[ClubV12]

A technique thats been around for a very long time. Seems to me, before we had airplanes, they used cannons. Not to be confused with "snake oil" salesmen and "rain doctors", all though, the lines may blur at times.

[Igakusei]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cloud+seeding&l=1

[Dr. Shane]

Not to be confused with "snake oil" salesmen and "rain doctors", all though, the lines may blur at times.

I did a web search after I read the original article but I didn't find any good results from studies to show how effective it is. I can't imagine it is cheap. Dry ice certainly isn't cheap and what quantities are they dumping into these clouds? Can we quantify the rain this produces? I am wondering if it wouldn't be cheaper and more reliable just to build pipe lines and pumps to get water where we want it.

[Igakusei]

Originally Posted By: ClubV12

Not to be confused with "snake oil" salesmen and "rain doctors", all though, the lines may blur at times.

I did a web search after I read the original article but I didn't find any good results from studies to show how effective it is. I can't imagine it is cheap. Dry ice certainly isn't cheap and what quantities are they dumping into these clouds? Can we quantify the rain this produces? I am wondering if it wouldn't be cheaper and more reliable just to build pipe lines and pumps to get water where we want it.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&...ics&f=false