Top

Published in:

2022 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

2. Rain Enhancement Through Cloud Seeding

Authors : Ali M. Abshaev, Andrea Flossmann, Steven T. Siems, Thara Prabhakaran, Zhanyu Yao, Sarah Tessendorf

Published in: Unconventional Water Resources

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

An increasing number of countries are planning to carry out rain-enhancement activities in response to water shortages and other societal needs. Rain enhancement can work with reasonable cost–benefit ratios under the right conditions. However, many components of the technology need improvement and testing, and many physical processes are not yet fully understood due to their complexity. Global research on cloud-seeding technology indicates that precipitation can be increased up to 15% of the annual norm, depending on the available cloud resources and technical systems used. However, there is still ambiguity in the results of the studies conducted and the effects and scale of the rain enhancement. When evaluating the results of rain enhancement projects, it is necessary to adhere to rigorous scientific approaches and proven methods.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

previous chapter Global Water Scarcity and Unconventional Water Resources

next chapter Fog Harvesting

Abshaev MT (1966) Concentration of hailstones and hail embryos. Proc High Mountain Geophys Inst 3(5):191–196

Abshaev MT (1994) A new concept of hailstorm modification. Paper presented at 6th WMO Conference on Weather Modification, 30 May–4 June 1994, Paestum, Italy

Abshaev MT, Malkarova AM, Tebuev AD (2003) Radar estimation of hail damage. Paper presented at the 8th WMO science conference on weather modification, 7–12 April 2003, Casablanca, Morocco

Abshaev AM, Abshaev MT, Sadykhov YA (2004) Diffusion of artificial aerosol in Cu cong clouds. Russ Meteorol Hydrol 9:18–24

Abshaev MT, Sulakvelidze GK, Burtsev II, Fedchenko LM, Jekamukhov MK, Abshaev AM, Kuznetsov BK, Malkarova AM, Tebuev AD, Nesmeyanov PA, Shakirov IN, Shevela GF (2006) Development of rocket and artillery technology for hail suppression, pp 109–127. Al Mandous A, Bojkov R, Al Mazroui A, Al Muhairi M (eds). Achievements in weather modification. Department of Atmospheric Studies, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abshaev MT, Abshaev AM, Malkarova AM et al (2009) Radar estimation of water content in cumulonimbus clouds. Izv Atmos Ocean Phys 45:731–736. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001433809060061

Abshaev MT, Abshaev AM, Malkarova AM et al (2010) Automated radar identification, measurement of parameters, and classification of convective cells for hail protection and storm warning. Russ Meteorol Hydrol 35:182–189. https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373910030040

Abshaev MT, Abshaev AM, Kuznecov BK, Kotelevich AF, Guzoev TH, Balakova N, Chochaev HH, Yakushkin BV, Ponomarenko RN, Trifonov VS (2011a) New advances in automation of anti-hail rocket technology. Paper presented at Tenth WMO conference on weather modification, 4–7 October 2011, Bali, Indonesia

Abshaev AM, Sadykhov YA, Malkarova AM (2011b) On the choice of diffusion schemes in numerical simulation of crystallizing aerosol propagation in the cloud medium. Russ Meteorol Hydrol 36:737–746. https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373911110057

Abshaev MT, Abshaev AM, Barekova MV, Malkarova AM (2014) Manual on organization and execution of hail suppression projects, Nalchik, 508 pp

Al Mandous A, Bojkov R, Al Mazroui A, Al Muhairi M (2006) Achievements in weather modification. Department of Atmospheric Studies, Abu Dhabi, P. 186

Al Mazroui A (2017a) Advancing the science, technology and implementation of rain enhancement. Project of water security solutions in arid and semi-arid regions and beyond. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.34696.21762

Belyaeva MV, Drofa AS, Ivanov VN (2013) Efficiency of stimulating precipitation from convective clouds using salt powders. Izvestiya Atmosph Oceanic Phys 49(2):154–161. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001433813010039

Bengtsson L (2010) The global atmospheric water cycle. J Environ Res Lett 5:025202. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/5/2/025202

Bigg EK (1995) Tests for persistent effects of CS in a recent Australian experiment. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 34(11):2406–2411. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1995)034%3c2406:TFPEOC%3e2.0.CO;2

Borland SW, Browning KA, Changnon SA, Cooper WA, Danielsen EF, Dennis AS, … Young KC (1977) Hail: a review of hail science and hs. hail: a review of hail science and HS. J Amer Meteorol Soc. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-935704-30-0

Braham RR (1986) Precipitation enhancement—a scientific challenge. Precipitation enhancement—a scientific challenge. Amer Meteorol Soc 43:1–5

Breed D, Rasmussen R, Weeks C, Boe B, Deshler T (2014) Evaluating winter orographic CS: design of the wyoming weather modification pilot project (WWMPP). J Appl Meteorol Climatol 53(2):282–299. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-13-0128.1

Brier GW, Grant LO, Mielke Jr. PW (1973) An evaluation of extended area effects from attempts to modify local clouds and cloud systems. Proc WMO/IAMAP scientific conference on weather modification, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, WMO, 439–447

Bruintjes RT (1999) A review of CS experiments to enhance precipitation and some new prospects. Bullet Amer Meteorol Soc 80:805–820

Bruintjes RT, Salazar V, Semeniuk TA, Buseck P, Breed DW, Gunkelman J (2012) Evaluation of hygroscopic cloud seeding flares. J Weather Modificat 44(1):69–94. Available at http://journalofweathermodification.org/index.php/JWM/article/view/85

Burtsev II, Ugryumov AI, Dyadyuchenko VN, Martanov VV, Zakharov VM, Shulyakovsky GE, Stasenko VN,…Korneev VP (2018) Essays on the history of weather modification in the USSR and the post-soviet territory. St.Petersburg, RSHMU, 2017. 352 pp. Retrieved from http://mig-journal.ru/toauthor?id=4644

Cooper WA, Bruintjes RT, Mather GK (1997) Calculations pertaining to hygroscopic seeding with flares. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 36(11):1449–1469. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1997)036%3c1449:CPTHSW%3e2.0.CO;2

Dennis AS (1980) Weather Modification by CS. Academic Press, 267 pp., 1980. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/water_rep/670

Dessens J, Sánchez JL, Berthet C,Hermida L, Merino A (2016) Hail prevention by ground-based silver iodide generators: results of historical and modern field projects. Atmosph Res 170:98–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2015.11.008

Dinevich LA, Shalaveyus SS (2010) Experience in the use of tracers to study the spread of chemicals in the artificial effect on convective clouds, Modern problems of science and education, No. 12, pp 64–86

Drofa AS, Eran’kov VG, Ivanov VN, Shilin AG, Iskevich GF (2013) Experimental investigations of the effect of cloud-medium modification by salt powders. Izvestiya Atmosph Oceanic Phys 49(3):298–306. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001433813030043

Eke J, Yusuf A, Giwa A, Sodiq A (2020). The global status of desalination: an assessment of current desalination technologies, plants and capacity. J Desalination 495:114633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2020.114633

Fajardo C, Costa G, Ortiz LT, Nande M, Rodríguez-Membibre ML, Martín M, Sánchez-Fortún, S (2016). Potential risk of acute toxicity induced by AgI cloud seeding on soil and freshwater biota. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 133:433–441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.06.028

Findeisen W (1938) Die Kolloid-meteorologische Vorgänge bei der Neiderschlags-bildung. Meteorologische Zeitschrift. Meteorol 55:121–133

Flossmann AI, Manton M, Abshaev A, Bruintjes R, Murakami M et al (2018) Peer review report on global precipitation enhancement activities. Research Report. WMO, Geneva

Flossmann AI, Manton M, Abshaev A, Bruintjes R, Murakami M, Prabhakaran T, Yao Z (2019). Review of advances in precipitation enhancement research. Bullet Amer Meteorol Soc 100(8):1465–1480. https://doi.org/10.1175/bams-d-18-0160.1

French JR, Friedrich K, Tessendorf SA, Rauber RM, Geerts B, Rasmussen RM, Xue L, Kunkel ML, Blestrud DR (2018) Precipitation formation from orographic CS. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the United States of America, 115(6):1168–1173. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1716995115

Friedrich K, Ikeda K, Tessendorf SA, French JR, Rauber RM, Geerts B,… Parkinson S (2020). Quantifying snowfall from orographic cloud seeding. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the United States of America 117(10):5190–5195. DOI https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1917204117

Geresdi I, Xue L, Rasmussen R (2017). Evaluation of orographic CS using a bin microphysics scheme: two-dimensional approach. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 56(5):1443–1462. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-16-0045.1

Givati A, Rosenfeld D (2004) Quantifying precipitation suppression due to air pollution. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 43(7):1038–1056. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(2004)043%3c1038:QPSDTA%3e2.0.CO;2

Guo XL, Fu DH, Li XY, Hu ZX, Lei HC, Xiao H, Hong YC (2015) Advances in cloud physics and weather modification in China. Adv Atmosph Sci 32(2), 230–249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-014-0006-9

Huggins AW, Kenyon SL, Warren L, Peace AD, Billish SP, Manton MJ (2008) The Snowy rain enhancement research project. A description and preliminary results. J Weather Modificat 40(1), 28–53. Retrieved from https://journalofweathermodification.org/index.php/JWM/issue/view/55

Khain A, Rosenfeld D, Pokrovsky A (2005). Aerosol impact on the dynamics and microphysics of deep convective clouds. J Royal Meteorol Soc 131(611):2639–2663. https://doi.org/10.1256/qj.04.62

Koloskov BP, Korneev VP, Petrov VV, Beryulev GP, Danelyan BG, Shchukin GG (2011) Some results of activities on the improvement of weather conditions over metropolises. J Russian Meteorol Hydrol 36(2):117–123. https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373911020063

Korneev VP, Potapov EI, Shchukin GG (2017) Environmental aspects of cloud seeding. Russian Meteorol Hydrol 42(7), 477–483. https://doi.org/10.3103/S106837391707007X

Langmuir I (1950) Control of precipitation from cumulus clouds by various seeding techniques. Science 112(2898):35. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.112.2898.35

Liang H, Abshaev MT, Abshaev AM, Huchunaev BM, Griffiths S, Zou L (2019) Water vapor harvesting nanostructures through bioinspired gradient-driven mechanism. Chem Phys Lett 728, 167–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2019.05.008

Lincoln-Smith M, Dye A, Kemsley K, Denholm J (2011) Environmental monitoring and assessment. A statistical analysis of concentrations of silver and indium at generator locations. J Weather Modificat 43(1):1–8. From https://www.journalofweathermodification.org/index.php/JWM/article/view/145

Long AB (2001) Review of downwind extra-area effects of precipitation enhancement. J Weather Modif 33(1):24–45. From https://journalofweathermodification.org/index.php/JWM/article/view/237

Manton MJ, Warren L, Kenyon SL, Peace AD, Bilish SP, Kemsley K (2011) A Confirmatory snowfall enhancement project in the snowy mountains of Australia. Part I: project design and response variables. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 50(7):1432–1447. https://doi.org/10.1175/2011JAMC2659.1

Manton MJ, Peace AD, Kemsley K, Kenyon SL, Speirs JC, Warren L, Denholm J (2017) Further analysis of a snowfall enhancement project in the Snowy Mountains of Australia. Atmosph Res 193:192–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2017.04.011

National Research Council (2003) Critical issues in weather modification research. Washington, DC: The National Academy Press 131. DOI https://doi.org/10.17226/10829

Nicholls N, Wong KK (1990) Dependence of rainfall variability on mean rainfall, latitude, and the southern oscillation. J Climate 3(1):163–170. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1990)003%3c0163:DORVOM%3e2.0.CO;2

Rasmussen RM, Tessendorf SA, Xue L, Weeks CE, Ikeda K, Landolt S, Lawrence B (2018) Evaluation of the wyoming weather modification pilot project (WWMPP) using two approaches: traditional statistics and ensemble modeling. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 57:2639–2660. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-17-0335.1

Rauber RM, Geerts B, Xue L, French J, Friedrich K, Rasmussen RM, Tessendorf SA, Blestrud DR, Kunkel ML, Parkinson S (2019) Wintertime orographic cloud seeding-a review. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 58:2117–2140. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0341.1

Reinking RF, Martner BE (1995) Feeder-cell ingestion of seeding aerosol from cloud base determined by tracking radar chaff. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 35(9):1402–1415. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1996)035%3c1402:FCIOSA%3e2.0.CO;2

Rosenfeld D, Lensky IM (1998) Satellite—based insights into precipitation formation processes in continental and maritime convective clouds. Bullet Amer Meteorol Soc 79(11):2457–2476. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1998)079%3c2457:SBIIPF%3e2.0.CO;2

Rosenfeld D, Axisa D, Woodley WL, Lahav R (2010) A quest for effective hygroscopic CS. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 49(7):1548–1562. https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JAMC2307.1

Segal Y, Khain A, Pinsky M, Rosenfeld D (2004) Effects of hygroscopic seeding on raindrop formation as seen from simulations using a 2000-bin spectral cloud parcel model. Atmospher Res 71:3–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2004.03.003

Segal Y, Pinsky M, Khain A (2007). The role of competition effect in the raindrop formation. Atmosph Res 83:106–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2006.03.007

Semeniuk TA, Bruintjes R, Salazar V, Breed D, Jensen T, Buseck PR (2014) Individual aerosol particles in ambient and updraft conditions below cloud bases in the Oman mountain region. J Geophys Res Atmosph 119:2511–2528. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JD021165

Shilin AG, Fedorenko AI, Ivanov VN, Savchenko AV (2015) A study of ageing processes in ice-forming aerosols containing silver iodide and organic ice-forming substances, Collected papers “Problems of cloud physics” in the memory of N.O. Journal of Plaude, Russian Hydrometeorological Service, Central Aerological Observatory, Moscow, p 342–347, ISBN: 978-5-901579-62-6

Sulakvelidze GK, Bibilashvili NS, Lapcheva VP (1965) Formation of precipitation and modification of hail processes. Leningrad, Hydrometizdat 203. (Translation available from National Technical Inform. Service, Springfield, VA, USA)

Tai Y, Liang H, Zaki A, El Hadri N, Abshaev AM, Huchinaev BM, Griffiths S, Jouiad M, Zou L (2017). Core/shell microstructure induced synergistic effect for efficient water-droplet formation and cloud-seeding application. J ACS Nano 11(12):12318–12325. Retrieved from http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.7b06114

Terblanche DE, Mittermaier MP, Burger RP, De Waal KJP, Ncipha XG (2005) The South African rainfall enhancement programme: 1997–2001. Water SA 31(3):291–298. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC116273

Terblanche DE, Steffens FE, Fletcher L, Mittermaier MP, Parsons RC (2000) Toward the operational application of hygroscopic flares for rainfall enhancement in South Africa. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 39(11):1811–1821. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(2001)039%3c1811:TTOAOH%3e2.0.CO;2

Tessendorf SA, French JR, Friedrich K, Geerts B, Rauber RM, Rasmussen RM, Bruintjes R (2019) A transformational approach to winter orographic weather modification research: the SNOWIE project. Bullet Amer Meteorol Soc, 71–92. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0152.1

Wegener A (1910) On the condensation processes in the atmosphere. Meteorol. Zeitschrift, p 354–374

Wegener A (1912) Thermodynamik der Atmosphäre. Nature 90:31. https://doi.org/10.1038/090031a0

Woodley WL, Rosenfeld D, Silverman BA (2003) Results of on-top glaciogenic cloud seeding in Thailand. Part I: The demonstration experiment. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 42(7):920–938. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(2003)042%3c0920:ROOGCS%3e2.0.CO;2

World Meteorological Organization (1985) Synopsis of the WMO Precipitation Enhancement Project. Precipitation Enhancement Project Report No. 34, Geneva, Switzerland

Xue L, Hashimoto A, Murakami M, Rasmussen R, Tessendorf SA, Breed D, Parkinson S, Holbrook P, Blestrud D (2013a) Implementation of a silver iodide cloud-seeding parameterization in WRF. Part I: model description and idealized 2D sensitivity tests. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 52:1433–1457. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-12-0148.1

Xue L, Tessendorf SA, Nelson E, Rasmussen R, Breed D, Parkinson S, Holbrook P, Blestrud D (2013b) Implementation of a silver iodide cloud-seeding parameterization in WRF. Part II: 3D simulations of actual seeding events and sensitivity tests. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 52(6):1458–1476. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-12-0149.1

Yao Z (2006) Review of weather modification research in chinese academy of meteorological sciences. J Appl Meteorol Sci 17(6):786–795

Yoshida Y, Murakami M, Kurumisawa Y, Kato T, Hashimoto A, Yamazaki T, Haneda N (2009) Evaluation of snow augmentation by cloud seeding for drought mitigation. J Japan Soc Hydrol Water Resour 22(3):209–222. https://doi.org/10.3178/jjshwr.22.209

Zhekamukhov MK, Abshaev AM (2009a) Simulation of rocket seeding of convective clouds with coarse-dispersion hygroscopic aerosol. 1. Condensational growth of the cloud droplets at the salt crystals. Russ Meteorol Hydrol 34:228–235. https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373909040050

Zhekamukhov MK, Abshaev AM (2009b) Simulation of rocket seeding of convective clouds with coarse-dispersion hygroscopic aerosol. 2. Condensation and coagulation in a cloud seeded with hygroscopic particles. Russ Meteorol Hydrol 34:293–300. https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373909050045

Zhekamukhov MK, Abshaev AM (2012) Dispersion of crystallizing reagents by detonation method. Part I: Detonation product expansion and kinetics of critical-size embryo droplet formation. Russ Meteorol Hydrol 37:448–454. https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373912070035

Title: Rain Enhancement Through Cloud Seeding
Authors: Ali M. Abshaev
Andrea Flossmann
Steven T. Siems
Thara Prabhakaran
Zhanyu Yao
Sarah Tessendorf
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: Unconventional Water Resources
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-90145-5

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-90146-2

Copyright Year: 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90146-2_2