What is Cloud Seeding?
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique aimed at enhancing precipitation (rain, hail or snow) by introducing specific substances into clouds. This method has been employed since the late 1940s, primarily to increase rainfall in arid regions or to remove drought conditions. At its core, cloud seeding involves a series of straightforward steps. First, seeding agents, chemical such as silver iodide or dry ice, are dispersed into the atmosphere. This is typically done from aircraft or ground generators. These materials serve as particle around which water droplets can form. When these agents are introduced into supercooled clouds—clouds containing liquid water at temperatures below freezing—they encourage the formation of ice crystals. Silver iodide is particularly effective because its structure closely resembles that of ice. As more water vapour condenses onto these ice crystals, they grow larger. Eventually, when they become heavy enough, they fall as precipitation, either as