Resources: https: . 3 January 2020. What did you develop and how will it facilitate future research? Conventional water resources such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater have become very limited, which is driving scientists and engineers to look for alternative water resources, says Dr. Linda Zou, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Khalifa University of Science and Technology. So, what is cloud seeding, how does it work and where is it used in Australia? A rain-enhancing process known as cloud seeding caused historic flooding in Tasmania, Australia, in 2016 and along Australias southeastern coast this year. One user even claimed that planes about 1,200km away from the epicenter of the floods might be to blame. 2022 AFP. Ben Domensino, a meteorologist at Weatherzone, says the low pressure trough is delivering the rainfall but an area of colder air higher in the atmosphere is drifting in, making the atmosphere unstable and allowing moisture to be lifted up and dropped as rain. But experts say the flooding has been worsened by climate change and a La Nia weather phenomenon. Cloud seeding gives these clouds a lot more ice crystals (or cloud nuclei). US and Russia trade blows over Ukraine at G20, Greek trains halted as anger over crash grows, Messages reveal battle over UK Covid policy, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. The delivery of this salt is to vaporize them by ignition by a flare device. "A pilot from Handel Aviation in Cessna 210N Centurion VH-JIL did a breakfast time cloud seeding run over Lismore South & Ballina today while sightseeing the massive flood below him," one widely shared post reads. Silver iodide helps rain drops and ice crystals grow larger and increases the amount of rain and snow that can fall from clouds. Water vapor in the atmosphere can then adhere to the particles, and condense into raindrops or snowflakes. As the water spreads to northern New South Wales, how did the so-called rain bomb develop? Dr. Zou: Yeah. But a probe by the Tasmanian government into the 2016 flooding has since been completed, and investigators and expert atmospheric scientists found that cloud seeding by Hydro Tasmania, a government-owned generator of renewable energy, did not contribute to or worsen the heavy rains. Experimental cloud seeding technology does actually exist and has been used in places like China and the UAE. "Cloud seeding is a . As the trough is expected to move slightly east, computer models show that by Friday there is a bit of a bullseye over Brisbane, a BoM forecaster says. We call them UAEREP [United Arab Emirates Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science]. The PUB should constantly monitor the weather patterns and warn the people when a flood is about to occur. A pilot from Handel Aviation in Cessna 210N Centurion VH-JIL did a breakfast time cloud seeding run over Lismore South & Ballina today while sightseeing the massive flood below him, the post claimed without evidence, adding the names and contact information of employees at the company. Laurel: That was Dr. Linda Zou, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, who I spoke with from Cambridge, Massachusetts, the home of MIT and MIT Technology Review, overlooking the Charles River. Why doesn't Australia use the cloud seeding method? For general feedback and enquiries, please contact us through our Help Desk. Commonly called "chemtrails" this "cloud seeding" is picking up in pace. Scientists blame intense rainfall on a . 4m ago. This shows us the risk is real to have two serious flood events in just 11 years is a pretty high frequency for a major city like Brisbane to have to deal with.. Given climate change is a background to all weather events, its hard to say that it does not play a role, he says. After cloud seeding activities were carried out to bring precipitation, some parts of China's Chongqing welcomed long-awaited rains recently, but experts warned that the city and the region should prepare for possible flooding and landslides. One reason for the wetness is likely La Nia, which for the first time this century has returned for three consecutive years. That aircraft was capturing images of the flood damage at the time, according to the statement. one follower wrote. There was a high degree of luck in terms of where we started from [with Wivenhoe Dam], he says, adding that the climate crisis will only raise the risk of future events. Media reports estimated at least 22 . You are also pursuing funding initiatives at this point too, for your research. It's not infallible, but it's been used all around the world to - for example - help irrigate crops. Theres a small one, a medium one, and a large one. Design thinking was supposed to fix the world. In the open environment, it's more challenging. Cloud seeding has strict requirements. Handel Aviation did not return requests for additional comment. Feast to Famine: Mass Floods and Australia's High-Speed Rail. I'm the Director of Insights, the custom publishing division of MIT Technology Review. The process works by shooting microscopic particles of silver iodide into existing clouds using land based generators or aircraft. The term 'rain bomb' was coined by Daily Mail Australia in 2017 to describe sudden and intense rainstorms, and has since been picked up by politicians and even the Bureau of Meteorology. What are conventional cloud seeding materials, and then how does nanotechnology come into play? Image: How cloud seeding works in the NSW Snowy Mountains. Silver iodide is an ice-forming agent, which causes supercooled water droplets to freeze in the clouds. "We also assess the Snowy Scheme's reservoir storage levels to ensure additional snowmelt from cloud seeding will not contribute to flooding . Australia's path towards Agenda 2030. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC News) quoted the Department of Premier and Cabinet's report on the flood in 2018. Cloud seeding experiments began in Australia during 1947 after American scientists made the discovery in 1946. These images are used to assess the damage caused by recent weather events.. Cloud seeding was conducted a day before the recent floods in Australia. Cloud seeding is a form of weather modification that has been around since the 1960s, and has been used repeatedly in some places, like Wyoming and Colorado. Then we can later analyze at what stage the droplets formed and at what number and size of the droplets. Torrential rain hovers over the Brisbane region, feeding Wivenhoe Dam but also filling major rivers like the Bremer that winds through Ipswich and the Lockyer Creek. UAE is in the arid climate zone, and the government has already taken the initiative of this UAE research program for re-enhancement science. Climatology and Geophysics Agency BMKG said the great flood that hit Jakarta in early 2020 was "one of the most extreme rain events" since . Question is why?' "The idea that this is happening on a widespread scale, and that there is some motive to manipulate the weather is a complete myth," says Dr Ella Gilbert, a climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey. Pilots get "really violent" threats after online rumors wrongly pin devastating floods on cloud seeding. Cloud seeding is a real thing. A Hydro Tasmania spokesperson told the AP that it has since stopped conducting cloud seeding. Our recent flights over flooded areas of NSW and QLD are in response to the floods," a statement on the Handel Aviation website reads. Ouse in the Derwent River catchment was one of the hardest hit areas in this week's floods. . Dr. Zou: Yeah. It can enhance precipitation in areas experiencing drought, among other uses. What are the challenges with then deploying the material out in the real world? A dangerous and bizarre conspiracy theory is circulating that the devastating floods which have torn through Australia's . Source: nationalparks.nsw.gov.au JB Straubel speaks about his company, Redwood Materials, and what challenges loom for batteries. There is no evidence to prove cloud seeding affected the flood. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has expressed her concern over the impact of the floods as the state is inundated by rain. Cloud seeding is a form of planned weather modification. The key factors of a successful cloud seeding operation include, first, identifying the suitable cloud for seeding. Unattached supercooled water vapour molecules in the clouds condense around these particles. Hydro Tasmania also denied that its flights were to blame and said in a statement that an analysis shows the operation had no measurable impact on rainfall on that day.. Laurel: Cloud seeding is a form of weather modification that mimics what naturally occurs in clouds but enhances the process by adding particles that can stimulate and accelerate the condensation process. "Cloud seeding is not that effective, people do it only under very special circumstances," he said. And cloud. Get in touch. So we can use them as input to develop one-dimensional and three-dimensional modeling of precipitation enhancement caused by cloud seeding, and the results prove quite successful. In Australia, cloud seeding is used in some areas to increase surface water runoff for use in the production of hydropower. Laurel: To successfully cloud seed, you need a number of things: the right air temperature, the right humidity, a surface that attracts water and keeps it, and then the correct size material to allow condensation to form on the particle. Bartolo's move to Gold Coast came after getting arrested in a dramatic police raid in Melbourne in September 2020. In partnership withUAE Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai. Dr. Zou: The conventional cloud seeding materials include mostly hydroscopic salt mixture, which can change from salt crystals into water droplets at the right condition. Observed so far: 1. . Read about our approach to external linking. Trials in Tasmania were also successful and since the 1960s, Hydro Tasmania has continued cloud seeding over the state. The map above depicts shallow groundwater storage in Australia from November 11-14, 2022, as measured by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites. Were having trouble saving your preferences. Could this all just be a . Today, together with the National Center of Meteorology of the UAE, we can see the application of these new seeding materials in real operations very quickly across UAE to increase the rainfall. Handel said he tasked his operations manager, Anthony Berko, with responding to each email and calling people who provided their phone numbers. April 8, 2022 / 6:52 AM / AFP . The extra water produced from cloud seeding can sit in water storages for multiple years. When doing so, please reference. This will provide the people with a safety net to fall on, in the event of a flood. Because the process is random and uncertain, the form and size of the particle cannot be controlled and most are probably too small to be effective cloud seeding materials. CBS News reported on April 8 that many Australian pilots and aviation companies received threats regarding false claims on social media about cloud seeding. The increased snowfall can also benefit ski resorts within the cloud seeding areas. The natural occurring condensation nuclei are such as dust particles, volcano flash, or pollens. They've basically lost everything and then someone has then said here's your answer," Berko said. In my project, we have changed the surface of the material to make it more reactive so it can work at a lower and wider relative humidity to make it more likely to happen. Handel Aviation posted a statement in response calling the claims misinformation and denying that it conducts cloud seeding flights, stating that it only operates an aerial photography aircraft. Conspiracy theorists have claimed that cloud seeding leads to climate change and natural disasters like floods. Could you explain in more detail how cloud seeding works? This nanoengineered shell core structured material can be activated at much broader relative humidity conditions such as about 65%. out 'cloud seeding' - a weather . Its no wonder then that several 'cloud seeding' (rain-making) experiments have been conducted in Australia. Under NSW legislation, Snowy Hydro can only cloud seed when precipitation is likely to fall as snow to elevations below 1,400 metres. All Rights Reserved. This material can initiate ice nucleation followed by rapid growth starting from a temperature of minus 80 degrees. What could be the reason behind mass flooding down the east coast of Australia? Conspiracy theorists have claimedthe floods devastating Australia's east coast are part of a 'government weather warfare attack'. 'The Gold Coast and surrounds is currently under a government weather warfare attack,' he told his army of devoted followers. upcoming events, and more. Cloud seeding was first trialled in Australia in 1947 when the CSIRO got up in a light plane and released crushed dry ice into promising-looking clouds. Wivenhoe Dam Brisbanes main source of water and also a key piece of infrastructure to stop the city flooding starts rising rapidly from 58% capacity. While scientists have blamed the. 2022 . However, Dr. Zou explains, The cloud-seeding materials used today have been around for many decades. This data describing my new seeding materials property and their interactions in atmosphere. March 8, 2022 . Business Lab is a production of MIT Technology Review. The flooding in October 2022 is the latest in a series of major floods to affect eastern Australia since unusually wet conditions began in early 2021. Often, a compound like Silver Iodine (AgI) is used as the particulate matter, as it is naturally occurring in the world in low concentrations. I used an eight cubic meter chamber with controlled humidity and temperature. Cloud seeding is still practiced in the Snowy Mountains in NSW today, carried out by Snowy Hydro Limited. What are you working on now, and what are you thinking about next? Cloud seeding adds small, ice-like particles to clouds. Through the advancement in nanotechnology and nanoscience, nowadays we are working to design and engineer cloud-seeding materials with optimal properties to ensure water vapor condensation will occur effectively and maximize the rainfall achieved, explains Dr. Zou. We wont run out of key ingredients for climate action, but mining comes with social and environmental ramifications. Flashes into the high RF appear on RADAR sometimes in the same geometric modulation patterns spoken about in HAARP research papers they appear coordinated with other stations, and not all stations in the same area produce the flash. Clouds can be seeded from the ground using silver iodide generators. Is that correct? Why have certain communities been targeted with geoengineered weather? The United Arab Emirates is creating its own rain using drones that fly into clouds and unleash electrical charges to beat the sweltering 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) heat. Australia's 2022 floods have seen Brisbane's Southbank hit by a 'rain bomb'. A 2016 news clip was associated with the recent floods in Australia. In it, the newsreader reports on concerns by Tasmanian residents that the region's worst floods in 40 years could have been linked to cloud seeding. The area of cooler air in the upper atmosphere drifts into the low pressure trough and starts to deliver record-breaking downpours over Brisbane and its surrounds. We can do a spectrum analysis and to find out their vapor condensation, the droplet formation, and the size and the number of the droplets. Between 1967 and 1972, during the Vietnam War, it spent roughly $3 million each year on weather modification . Essentially, we are creating a . The fact that the damage and loss of life were so great this time is due to the fact that many more people live in . This stored water can help ensure renewable energy generation and downstream water availability during future drier years, when inflows are lower. Dr. Zou: Yes, you are right. The first trials were carried out near Sydney by Kraus and Squires in 1947. UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, New UAE cloud seeding test in Texas shows 'promising results', Roomba testers feel misled after intimate images ended up on Facebook, How Rust went from a side project to the worlds most-loved programming language. As you know, cold clouds with sub-zero temperatures are also present in the atmosphere. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania saw very low rainfall, around 26 percent below the average for March 2022. 1. For frequently asked questions, please check our Knowledge Base. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, SpaceX launches new crew to space station, Prosecution wraps case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, White House cybersecurity strategy pivots to regulation, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Rape kits from two women lead to arrest in 1979 murder of one of them, FDA authorizes first at-home test for both COVID and flu, Couple accuses fertility clinic of implanting embryo with cancer genes, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence. Through the advancement in nanotechnology and nanoscience, nowadays we are working to design and engineer cloud seeding materials with optimal properties to ensure water vapor condensation will occur effectively and maximize the rainfall achieved. 'If you also know this, comment on your awareness of unnatural weather below. THE FACTS: In recent months, Australias southeastern coast has experienced some of its, in more than a decade, leading some social media users to highlight a previous instance of flooding and spread false theories about what caused, Twitter users are sharing a clip from a 2016 news broadcast about flooding in Tasmania to claim it proves that. Wivenhoe has never dealt with that volume of water but it was lucky it was down at 60% at the start. , first developed in the 1940s, involves spraying fine particles of silver iodide and dry ice into a cloud system. 'Could also be the start of the universal basic income scheme for the displaced victims of this tyranny? This show is available wherever you get your podcasts. The 2022 eastern Australia floods were one of the nation's worst recorded flood disasters with a series of floods that occurred from February to April in South East Queensland, the Wide Bay-Burnett and parts of coastal New South Wales. 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