The Bureau of Meteorology warns that an area of low pressure over the south coast of Queensland is dragging in moisture from the Coral Sea to the north and then lifting it over the coastline. In the midst of an historic megadrought, states in the American West are embracing cloud seeding to increase snow and rainfall. Cloud seeding can also, in some cases, cause the cloud to grow larger and last longer than it would have without the modification. For the third time this year, Sydney has been hit by major floods. An amusement ride is seen inundated by floodwaters in Sydney. Handel Aviation operator Mark Handel told AFP on Thursday that the company does not seed clouds. An independent investigation sought by Tasmanias parliament into the causes of the 2016 flooding found that cloud seeding, a process aimed at increasing precipitation, had no impact on the severe weather. (Photo: Flooding in Loganlea, Queensland on Feb. 28, 2022. Steven Siems, from Monash University's School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment, is a cloud expert. It involves manipulating existing clouds to try and help them produce more rain or snow. Four police officers knocked down the former bodybuilder's door when he refused to open it, claiming they didn't have authorisation to be on the property. 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. Hotter atmospheric conditions and oceans are driving much heavier rainfalls, scientists say. , first developed in the 1940s, involves spraying fine particles of silver iodide and dry ice into a cloud system. To be successful, scientists need 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. Could this all just be a . A flooded road is seen in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, following heavy rains on March 2, 2022. reach out to us at History of cloud seeding in Australia 7.5 Americans made the discovery in 1946 that pellets of dry ice could induce precipitation from clouds. 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. Today, that endeavor is making . 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. The photograph shows two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) DC-3 planes flying above some cumulus clouds. concerns about cloud seeding were raised in relation to the 2022 Lismore and South-East Queensland floods. As well as the rising river levels, the amount of rain falling locally causes flash floods all across the city and its outer suburbs as creeks swell, inundating areas that escaped the 2011 floods. A decades old idea, with todays innovation, might be the answer to help drought-stricken countries and to fight climate change. The clip is unrelated to recent floods in Australia, however, and dates . Social media users are also sharing a separate example to baselessly claim that cloud seeding played a role in flooding that happened throughout February and March in Queensland and New South Wales, leading to more than a dozen deaths. 'The Gold Coast and surrounds is currently under a government weather warfare attack,' he told his army of devoted followers. Feast to Famine: Mass Floods and Australia's High-Speed Rail. The process works by shooting microscopic particles of silver iodide into existing clouds using land based generators or aircraft. This stored water can help ensure renewable energy generation and downstream water availability during future drier years, when inflows are lower. It has been used in Australia intermittently since 1947. Artist depiction of cloud seeding drones. What did you develop and how will it facilitate future research? If you think a claim has been misjudged or requires correction, please send us evidence to support your error claim. For frequently asked questions, please check our Knowledge Base. Snowy Hydro also has other criteria for cloud seeding which includes; In addition to these atmospheric conditions, Snowy Hydro also takes into account the amount of water already in the landscape. A spokesman for the state's water authority says the dam doesn't have a flood mitigation component, so no water was released ahead of the downpour, which came when the state's dam network . Cloud seeding is an artificial weather modification technique that involves introducing cloud condensation nuclei into the atmosphere, which enhances a clouds ability to produce rain and snow. 2023 BBC. Dr. Zou: Yeah. Source: Snowy Hydro. Property damage. that happened throughout February and March in Queensland and New South Wales, leading to more than a dozen deaths. The post's caption states, "There were no flood warnings for the area in Tasmania targeted by a cloud-seeding operation the day before floods devastated the town of Ouse." >$379 million (2022 USD) [1] Heavy flooding broke out in the Central Coast and Sydney areas of New South Wales, Australia, beginning in early July 2022. Defence and National Security Intelligence. Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 26, 2022 About 18,000 homes in Brisbane and surrounding areas have been flooded and more than 50,000 are without power. Another added: 'Absolutely nothing natural about the rainfall in the past 5 months. The information and techniques are out of date and their effectiveness is not well understood.. Bartolo was handcuffed on his lounge room floor in a struggle seconds after the police broke inside. Unlock more weather data and layers options. Second, having the efficient seeding material for water droplet formation. There is no evidence to prove cloud seeding affected the flood. Prime inner-city areas including much of the South Bank precinct are underwater. In the U.S., studies have found a few percentage points of increase in precipitation. EPA. Archives of Handel Aviations website dating back to 2008 show that cloud seeding services have never been mentioned or offered on its site and there is no evidence that the company has been involved with the process. The report did not find evidence to prove that the cloud seeding flight contributed to the flood. (Audience submitted: David Bradley)"The extent to which cloud seeding has exaggerated the flood is still . "Cloud seeding is not that effective, people do it only under very special circumstances," he said. 2022. Large areas of south-east Queensland are placed under a warning for intense rainfall and thunderstorms that will cause flooding. You can find out more about Snowy Hydros cloud seeding operations here. As well as the rising river levels, the amount of rain falling locally causes flash floods all across the city and its outer suburbs as creeks swell, inundating areas that escaped the 2011 floods. Often, a compound like Silver Iodine (AgI) is used as the particulate matter, as it is naturally occurring in the world in low concentrations. Were not altering the updraft of the clouds. 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.. Leverage advanced weather intelligence and decisioning tools for your enterprise business. A high tide on Sunday evening pushes the river higher as the rising ocean water effectively holds back the freshwater. Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) (link is external) Australia declared a national emergency March 9, 2022 due to a series of floods from torrential rain in the eastern region of the country that began in late Feb., impacting South East Queensland, Wide Bay-Burnett and parts of coastal New South Wales. Laurel: You were one of the first scientists in the world to explore the use of nanotechnology in cloud seeding. They say it's all part of a government plan to "weaponise" the weather against its own people - a popular conspiracy trope that has been around for years. Ice nucleation is important. It can enhance precipitation in areas experiencing drought, among other uses. Most commonly used to increase precipitation as a drought management technique, cloud . 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. THE FACTS: In recent months, Australias southeastern coast has experienced some of its worst flooding in more than a decade, leading some social media users to highlight a previous instance of flooding and spread false theories about what caused it and other floods over the years. Published: 00:57 EDT, 31 March 2022 | Updated: 00:57 EDT, 31 March 2022. Cloud seeding is the process of artificially generating rain by implanting clouds with particles such as silver iodide crystals. At Gympie, 200km north of Brisbane, a flood warning is issued for the Mary River. The aim is to get other innovative projects from scientists in the field of rain enhancement from all over the world, with the winning ideas obtaining a grant of $5 million to work and improve on concepts for a period of three years. Australia's path towards Agenda 2030. Reeling under the severe heatwaves and drought, some parts of Chongqing city in southern China welcomed the long-awaited rain as the southwestern . Unfortunately, such material is unpredictable, where and how much available. My research work has been supported in their first cycle and received excellent worldwide exposure. According to Snowy Hydro, their Cloud Seeding Program increases precipitation by an average of 14 percent. 'Moving people into so-called 'smart cities' is likely, I think, considering the World Economic Forum openly talks about these things. This data describing my new seeding materials property and their interactions in atmosphere. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Many of the accounts seen by the BBC posting this type of content have also shared other conspiracy theories involving global warming, Covid vaccines, and the Moon landings. However, both are far overshadowed by the disaster of 1804, whose water discharge, with a peak discharge of about 1,200 m3/s, was twice as massive as the 1910 event. It does not have the ability to suddenly produce all kinds of heavy rain and snow, Tessendorf said, adding, That process is just not really set up to take a cloud that may not be an effective precipitation producer and suddenly make it into the most efficient flood-producing cloud.. Compared with the floods of 2011, Khan says this is about 50% more water into the dam in about half of the time. This process is known as glaciogenic cloud seeding. "Cloud seeding aims to enhance the amount of rain falling from rain-bearing clouds," Mr McNamara said. At least 3,600 homes are flooded in Gympie. Adkins said the crew involved in the seeding reported some effect . Conspiracy theorists spread the false claims on social media after weeks of torrential rains led to deadly east coast floods over the past two months, engulfing homes and sweeping cars from the roads. The global water shortage has continuously intensified by rapid population growth and economic development around the world. Australia at present is in short supply of both, and even if more clouds begin to make an appearance in the Australian sky, chances are they will not be the right type. 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. And why has Queenslands capital flooded again just 11 years after the devastation of 2011? THE FACTS: There's no evidence to suggest that cloud seeding played a role in either flood, and an atmospheric research expert told the AP that cloud seeding would . Dr. Zou: The cloud seeding materials used today have been around for many decades. one follower wrote. The claims circulating online led to more than 100 threats being sent to Handel Aviation, despite it explaining the purpose of the flights on the contact page of the company's website. Cloud seeding is usually carried out by sprinkling particles from a plane. Could you explain in more detail how cloud seeding works? The information and techniques are out of date and their effectiveness is not well understood. Cloud seeding is a form of planned weather modification. The BBC censored the crowd booing Boris Johnson at the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Dr. Zou: Yes. Sarah Tessendorf, a project scientist at the Colorado-based National Center for Atmospheric Research who leads the centers work on cloud seeding, told the AP that claims linking the process to flooding lack an understanding of how cloud seeding works. Commonly called "chemtrails" this "cloud seeding" is picking up in pace. The 'ice embryos' interact with the surrounding water droplets, and eventually grow to snowflakes. customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters youd like to receive. "Cloud seeding is a . Handel Aviation did not return requests for additional comment. The flight path of the Handel Aviation aircraft VH-JIL criss-crossing over flooded areas was also shared online by Australian fashion designer Alice McCall alongside claims it was dropping chemicals to "activate rain.". Learn more about fact-checking at AP. Showers and #thunderstorms will develop across eastern and central #Vic and parts of northern #Tas on Wednesday, continuing across the region until the weekend extending into eastern #SA and western Vic as well.Latest forecasts: https://t.co/EGP9Qynjs3 pic.twitter.com/4dZwkN8TKM. Of these four experiments, the Snowy Mountains saw statistically significant increases in rainfall during the experiment. Share. Cloud seeding: Making rain in desert. 'If you also know this, comment on your awareness of unnatural weather below. If experts complete seeding at the right time, it leads to more moisture supply, which will eventually create rainwater. Although cloud seeding has been around since the 1940s, climate change and population growth are driving scientists to take a closer look at the technology, which could offer a viable cost-effective supplement to existing water supplies, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, like the United Arab Emirates. 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. Fast forward to 2022 as Las Vegas, Nevada and the UAE are dealing with severe flooding which happened after acknowledged cloud seeding operations. Cloud condensation nuclei can be introduced into the atmosphere naturally or artificially. Resources: https: . Cloud seeding is a real thing. One user even claimed that planes about 1,200km away from the epicenter of the floods might be to blame. Thanks for listening. 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