Drought Mitigation Trade-offs
What are the trade-offs for mitigating drought through cloud seeding?
Is cloud seeding a viable solution to drought? Explore the technology of cloud seeding, considering the costs and benefits of this strategy for mitigating drought. The following links can provide a starting point for your research.
- Watch this brief video about Cloud Seeding
- Check how an organization promoting cloud seeding services answers some "Frequently Asked Questions"
Hands-on Activity
Create clouds in a bottle to demonstrate the role of small particles in cloud formation.
- Gather these materials:
- clear plastic bottle with pop-up cap
- matches
- water
- Watch a demonstration of the procedure on You-Tube. If you can't access streaming video sites, follow the instructions available from WikiHow.
- Explore and discuss the similarities and differences between the cloud-in-a-bottle demonstration and cloud seeding.
- Skim the article that compares Cloud seeding to Air Pollution (Acrobat (PDF) 243kB Jul10 08)
- Read about Cloud Seeding in the Thirsty West (formerly linked to article Stealing rain? )
- Read the American Meteorological Society's statement on planned and inadvertent Weather Modification.
Additional Resources
Access and read the article Basic Cloud Seeding Concepts from Southwest Hydrology.