Cloud seeding, explained. We flew up to see it with our own eyes.
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For decades, drought-stricken areas around the world have practiced “cloud seeding,” a process where chemical flares full of silver iodide are shot into clouds to encourage them to rain. But until recently, the science didn’t quite back this practice up. In large part, that’s because operational cloud seeding programs don’t have the luxury of conducting controlled tests — they have an obligation to produce as much rain as possible for the people living under the clouds they seed.
But there’s been a new breakthrough. In 2017, a major cloud seeding experiment in the mountains of Idaho showed that cloud seeding works; shooting chemical flares into the sky does produce more precipitation.
As the world faces an increasing number of heat waves and droughts, banking water is becoming more and more important. And while we don’t know exactly how life-changing cloud seeding will turn out to be, we do know it has the potential to be a tool in our arsenal in the long battle against worsening droughts.
To understand how cloud seeding works and what it’s already doing in Texas, watch this video and take a trip up to the clouds to see it yourself.
The Future Perfect team at Vox explores big problems and the big ideas that can tackle them. Read more here: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect
This video was made possible by a grant from the BEMC Foundation.
Sources and further reading:
To get a deeper understanding of droughts in all their complexity, how they interact with the water cycle, and how climate change makes them worse, check out NRDC’s guide:
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/drought-everything-you-need-know
To understand how tree-ring data and modern data are combined to get a better understanding of droughts over the last thousand years, check out this report:
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/megadrought-southwestern-north-america
To keep track of the many, severe droughts across the US, you can use the US Drought Monitor:
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?west
To read about Texas’s state climate summary for 2022, click on this link:
https://statesummaries.ncics.org/chapter/tx/#:~:text=Temperatures%20in%20Texas%20have%20risen,increases%20in%20extreme%20heat%20events.
To explore how Texas temperatures have changed over time, check out NOAA’s data here:
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/41/tavg/ann/6/1895-2022?base_prd=true&begbaseyear=1901&endbaseyear=2000
You can check out the results of the game-changing experiment that verified cloud seeding works here:
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1917204117#sec-3
To read more about the United Nation’s predictions for droughts and water shortages, check out their report here:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/drought-2050-un-report-climate-change/
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Hello! Christina, Vox producer, here. Thanks for coming on this journey with me!
As with all videos, there are always bits of information that don’t make it in. A tidbit I couldn’t include but found very interesting was that during the Vietnam War (or the American War, as they call it in Vietnam), the US secretly used cloud seeding as a weapon. Here’s a 1972 New York Times article that goes into more detail: https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/03/archives/rainmaking-is-used-as-weapon-by-us-cloudseeding-in-indochina-is.html
Were you familiar with cloud seeding before watching this video? Let me know in the comments!
Chemtrails!! 😅
They’ve been doing this for a couple decades now
Is there really skepticism over whether cloud seeding actually makes it rain? I don't know about the west Texas company's methods, but cloud seeding works. China has been doing it for years, and being as we just went through one of the hottest and driest summers on record, we got several chances to see it in action. It always goes the same way here: there's a huge gust of wind out of nowhere, torrential rain suddenly pours down, and it's all over in about 20 min.
Cloud seeding can definitely produce rain, though I can understand if there is skepticism over whether it produces enough to have an environmental impact outside of temporarily breaking the heat. Also, as the one gentleman said, they can't create clouds, just make existing ones rain. It's a band-aid solution.
A temporary solution that will cause droughts elsewhere.
Not sure if anybody knows the answer. But if droughts around the world are increasing, is that because of a shift from where rain would normally fall to another place or is rain overall decreasing everywhere. What I'm saying is, are localized places getting the rain that other parts of the world historically got and is that increasing extreme flooding in those places or is that not happening and nobody is getting any extra rain?
The shortsighted stupidity of these people is mind blowing. And I don’t mean the farmers. I mean the scientists.
Silver iodide is literally poisonous. Literally.
Hey we can’t prove it benefits humanity in any way but let’s spray some poison in the air people breathe in and into the soil and in the water. Great idea!
Cloud seeding/weather modifications is an experiment for the past 60 years and it is time to end the experiment!
I've watched nice possible rain clouds coming and watched planes flying through the clouds drying up the possible rain.
Over time silver iodide has negative affects on ecosystems, microbial life, water supply, wildlife and plants.
And we are at the top of the food chain.
Water management, slowing the run off, use the programs that have been set in place and stop the hemorrhage spending on new weather modifications investments. Do your research
The earth isn't changing we are changing the earth through costly experiments.
California is prime example of complete failure by sending their water to the ocean.
Omg thank good for this. Was having arguments with serval ignorant people on tik tok trying to tell me cloud seeding doesn't exist and i should stop stealing all the foil from the shops. Also tried to tell me i didn't believe in climate change
You're telling me that this guy takes a piper to the edge of thunderstorms?
Done since late 1940s … and long-publshed. Would be helpful to discuss the numerous LED solar sims around the world, simultaniously, to appreciate the Actual problem.
It is called cloud seeding which ultimately create disasters to crops.
I’m afraid that the climate change deniers won’t ever change their minds no matter how much evidence they are presented with. People were digging their heels in and refusing to listen to experts about Covid despite people dying all over and plenty of proof. Cloud seeding to combat droughts called by climate change is like putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound.
Cloud seeding was a topic back in the 1960's. The question most asked was, who's cloud moisture is it ? If they seed the clouds before they reach my land, where is my water coming from?
🙄🙄 humans have known how to make it rain since the Vietnam war.. cloud seeding created days of rain causing monsoons which were a disadvantage to Vietnamese soldiers. Operation popeye “make mud not war”
“cOnSpirAcy ThEorIst”
so, Texans accept that human can force rain out of cloud.but they can't believe that human can heat up earth!
What they're not telling you is higher CO2 levels help plants grow with less water.
This has been happening for 50 years. Give us a break. Spraying toxins on the realm is a disgrace. After 20 years of calling us conspiracy theorists it is now being rebranded as the cool thing to do for "climate change". Seriously WAKE UP!
Climate change! It's what climate does geniuses.
And the rain coming down is full of chemicals which the crops soak up. Sounds logical
Cloud seeding has been around for a loooong time, they're just now admitting it.
Operation Popeye
They have had this technology since the 40s….
I don't think spraying silver iodide all over the planet is the solution. Playing god can have consequences.
Maybe try some regenerative farming and you'd have some more vegetation. Can't deplete the earth or you end up with a dust bowl haha
Thank you for the actual facts. The Australian government are denying this is happening here preferring to provide fact checking info online while it continues to rain . 🤷♀️
Chem Trails we’re a conspiracy Theory for years and this guy is talking bout “20 years of data”. Smh. There is still worry about chemicals used and consequences of taking rain from people or communities that don’t have money. Dubai makes it rain weekly because how much money they have.
climate change is real is called Geo engineering, when you create rain you also create drought in other areas. the more they geo engineer the more climate imbalance there will be they even said we don't know for sure what will happen when we seed there are also things sprayed to make it rain that cause flammable conditions creating fires
if silver iodide causes heart failure and growth retardation in fish and wildlife then it does so in humans as well.
Okay now we just need to learn how to harness thunder bolts, earthquakes, blizzards, tornadoes, twisters, hurricanes and we could be a better as the human race
Can't wait for there to be an international treaty in like 40 years banning this after further research found that it had horrible side effects on global weather.
😂 our forefathers in Africa where doing this for thousands of years .
I hope people know humans have been cloud seeding since the 60's
Geoingeneering is dangerous. Too many unknowns and too many risks. It is our pretension who lead us where we’re at. We should try humbleness and use forests instead of chemicals too heal the water cycle.
Now tell the WHOLE TRUTH, the spraying at 90 degree angles to form a receiving antenna for the HAARP and CERN frequency generators manipulating the weather and climate, storms, hurricanes, etc.. otherwise you're just deceiving people with Half truths. And don't Even think of Lying, there's So much information out there and whistle blowers, you'll just be eliminated. Have a nice day…😎
You’re growing cotton (huge water intensity crop), in a arid semi desert environment, and have water problems….. I’m shocked that you’re shocked!
I wonder if they’re also studying how they’re changing things like air moisture, effects downwind areas….
it has been going on since the 40s…
Pay attention when they start spraying…watch the weather change…I've been keeping track for 4 years now, I never been wrong so far.