WHAT IS SO SCIENTIFIC ABOUT ARTIFICIAL RAIN?

DESPITE having a firm scientific understanding, even the scientific community was somewhat curious—after all, some of the country’s top institutions were leading the effort.

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The science behind cloud seeding is quite fundamental. It is a weather modification technique, in which chemicals, such as silver iodide, sodium chloride, or similar compounds, are injected into certain types of clouds to forcefully induce rainfall. These particles act as cloud condensation nuclei, potentially leading to rain.

However, cloud seeding works only on a specific class of clouds known as hygroscopicclouds, which already contain abundant liquid water and respond effectively to the introduction of extra nuclei of chemicals injected. In contrast, clouds lacking these characteristics are generally resistant to such external interventions, making seeding largely ineffective.