Artificial Rain: Chemicals Use, Process, Cost, and Benefits

Artificial Rain is a kind of weather modification that involves releasing substances into the atmosphere to act as ice nuclei or cloud condensation. It’s the process of adding external chemicals to clouds in order to purposefully increase or induce precipitation. The foreign particles that are buried under these clouds may include salt powder, silver iodide, dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), etc. Cloud seeding is the term for this procedure. Aircraft or rockets are used to provide this stimulation.

What is Artificial Rain?

Artificial rain or Cloud Seeding is the purposeful production of rain. This was first discussed in 1891 when Louis Gathmann proposed the use of liquid carbon dioxide to induce precipitation from clouds. In the late 1950s, Thailand started a project known as the Royal Rainmaking Project. Dubai is currently the first location to use artificial rain to effectively address water-related issues.

Vincent J. Schaefer created cloud seeding in 1946. This is the process of stimulating clouds with ingredients like dry ice or salt to produce rain. Altering the timing and location of rainstorms is one of the many ways that scientists are attempting to manipulate the weather. Despite the advantages of artificial rain, some individuals are concerned that tampering with nature could be dangerous.

What things are needed for Artificial Rain?

The most often used chemicals in cloud seeding are dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), potassium, and silver iodides. Propane liquid, which turns into a gas, has also been used. Compared to silver iodide, this can generate ice crystals at higher temperatures. Using hygroscopic materials, like table salt, is becoming more common after inspiring research.

Chemicals used to seed clouds can be released from airplanes or from ground-based dispersion systems, such as generators or canisters shot from rockets or anti-aircraft weapons. While flying through a cloud inflow, silver iodide flares are created and discharged for aerial distribution. Once the fine particles are released by ground-based equipment, air currents carry them both up and downwind.

Artificial Rain Process

An interesting method for modifying weather patterns and increasing precipitation is cloud seeding. The three main techniques for seeding clouds are hygroscopic, Dynamic, and Static. Each method has a special function in influencing clouds to produce more water.

Static Cloud Seeding

This method involves adding materials to cold clouds that include liquid water droplets that have been supercooled, such as dry ice or silver iodide. These particles serve as catalysts, encouraging the development of snowflakes or ice crystals. As these crystals grow, precipitation eventually drops on them.

Dynamic Cloud Seeding

The technique known as “dynamic cloud seeding” works by strengthening vertical air currents to create rainfall. Because it depends on a certain sequence of events for its operation, it is said to be more advanced than static cloud seeding.

Hygroscopic Cloud Seeding

This technique involves releasing tiny particles of hygroscopic substances, such as salts, into the base of heated clouds using flares or explosives. These particles increase both the number and size of cloud droplets by serving as nuclei for cloud condensation. Consequently, this enhances the clouds’ stability and reflectivity.

Artificial Rain Costs

Cloud seeding has been tried to create rain in non-Indian regions such as China. Gopal Rai, the environment minister in Delhi, is currently trying to produce artificial rain. His letter to Naresh Kumar, the chief secretary, was an appeal for cooperation with IIT Kanpur. The institute submitted a plan to the government that included roughly 300 square kilometers. The first experiment is expected to take place on November 20 or 21, when the weather should be suitable. In the event that the second experiment is successful, they intend to extend it to 1,000 sq km. The first phase will cost ₹3 crore, and the second phase will cost ₹10 crore. The cost is ₹1 lakh per sq km. Delhi is 1,483 square kilometers in size.

Artificial Rain Benefits

The following are the benefits of artificial rain:

• Cost-benefit Ratio: The study indicates that the expenses associated with implementing cloud seeding to produce rainwater are around 18 paise per liter. Using our own aircraft for seeding could result in a cost savings of over 50%.
• Dealing Drought Conditions: Cloud seeding can increase rainfall by around 18%, which helps meet the demand for water, but it cannot end droughts by itself.
• Useful Applications: Located on the leeward side of the Western Ghats, a place like Solapur receives very little rainfall. In this case, cloud seeding can be quite beneficial. The surplus water from cloud seeding might be able to assist in resolving the water scarcity problem in these areas.

It’s important to take into account that the effectiveness of cloud seeding in lowering pollution varies depending on the type of pollutants present, the local climate, and the operation’s particular objectives.

Artificial Rain Advantages

Artificial rain has been shown to be beneficial, particularly when it comes to alleviating droughts and enhancing living circumstances. Here are a few benefits:

Reducing Periods of Drought

Areas with little or no rainfall benefit greatly from artificial rain techniques. By allowing irrigation with natural water sources, these techniques also help to reduce temperatures. Remarkably, Gulf nations launched fruitful cloud seeding initiatives in 2010, providing a possible remedy for dry spells and scarcity of water in arid regions like Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Avoiding Hailstorms

Large ice particles produced by cloud condensation can seriously damage property in some locations. Such condensation can be avoided by using artificial rain techniques, saving property and wildlife losses. Also, research from the Universities of Wyoming and Cambridge has shown that cloud seeding can create snowfall.

Advantage for Dry Locations

Seventy percent of Australia’s mainland is difficult to live in since about thirty-five percent of its area receives little or no rainfall. These arid or semi-arid locations can be made more habitable by artificial rain, which will also improve living circumstances.

Management of Aviation Issues

Passenger planes, which are mostly used in modern transportation, are vulnerable to weather-related disturbances that could make flying unsafe. In an emergency, artificial rain is a potential way to change the weather, resulting in safer and more efficient air travel.

Boost Economy

An essential commodity for agriculture is water, and in areas where natural rainfall is limited, artificial rain can dramatically boost harvests. This increase in agricultural production boosts economic growth, feeds the local population abundantly, and reduces dependence on nations with abundant agricultural resources. In order to meet local demand, the consequence is increased production through techniques like organic farming.

Artificial Rain Disadvantages

Although creating rain artificially has proven beneficial for studies, there could be severe long-term consequences. While modifying the weather may be beneficial in certain areas, it can have negative effects on the entire planet. It is difficult to completely understand nature, and we are not in complete control of it. There are disadvantages to rainmaking, even if it is possible in some situations.

Expensive Approach

Creating rain in this manner is very expensive. Millions of dollars are needed to create a small amount of rain. Though it benefits the economy, the public does not pay for it. If the government wishes to do this, it will need to spend a lot of money. It was successful in Abu Dhabi, but it was expensive—$11 million.

Requires Cloud

This method of precipitation requires clouds. It does not function in the absence of clouds. It doesn’t rain on clear days because clouds can’t form in this manner.

Negative Impacts on the Ecosystem

The environment and people may be negatively impacted by the chemicals used to create rain. Some of the compounds utilized, such as silver iodide, have the potential to be hazardous to the environment.

Modifies the Climate

Since the weather is a natural phenomenon, changing it may have negative effects elsewhere. Chemicals are used to make clouds that are expected to rain later, rain earlier. This may result in water-related issues in other nations and locales.

Its Effectiveness is Unclear

Whether creating rain in this method is beneficial is unknown. It’s shown some encouraging signs, but further research is required. There are limitations to what it can do, and we’re continually learning about it.

Artificial Rain in Delhi 2023

In some parts of Delhi-NCR, there was little rain on November 10, 2023. This was a comfort because it offered a way out of the capital’s dangerously high air pollution levels. Around November 20, the Delhi government is trying to attempt to reduce pollution by using cloud seeding to create “artificial rain.”

There was some rain, but the quality of the air is still very poor. On Friday morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was 407 points. This is regarded as “severe.” To address the poor air quality, the government implemented Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan. The Delhi administration is working strongly toward addressing pollution. Ministers are considering different areas, and the government is ready to pay for the “artificial rain” to clean the air.

Questions and Answers on Artificial Rain

1. What is meant by Artificial Rain?

Cloud seeding, another name for artificial rain, is the process of using airplanes or helicopters to drop substances into the sky, such as dry ice, potassium iodide, and silver iodide. Water vapor is drawn to these particles, which causes clouds to form and rain to fall.

2. What is the Chemical Formula for Artificial Rain?

Silver iodide is the primary ingredient in cloud seeding, which creates artificial rain. Examples of inorganic compounds with the chemical formula Agl are silver iodides. When an iodide solution reacts with silver ions, silver iodide is produced that is extremely photosensitive.

3. Which material is used for Artificial Rain?

Silver Iodide is used to seed clouds in order to create artificial rain. The technique of “cloud seeding” includes using materials such as silver iodide and dry ice to induce precipitation.

4. Is Artificial Rain possible in India?

Six of the seven efforts at artificial rain trials conducted in Kanpur, according to the IIT-Kanpur team, were successful. According to the officials, they also validated the technology’s initial viability as a means of lowering air pollution in Delhi during the winter.