Laurel Ruma: From MIT Technology Review, I'm Laurel Ruma, and this is Business Lab. The BoM has said heavy rainfall events will get more intense as the world gets hotter. 'It is very obvious. Given climate change is a background to all weather events, its hard to say that it does not play a role, he says. If experts complete seeding at the right time, it leads to more moisture supply, which will eventually create rainwater. As floods devastated Australia's east coast, social media posts accused a pilot of causing the disaster through cloud seeding, a weather modification technique that involves dropping a rain-inducing chemical into clouds. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. QLD Premier's father runs genetic data storage company. Trials in Tasmania were also successful and since the 1960s, Hydro Tasmania has continued cloud seeding over the state. Large areas of south-east Queensland are placed under a warning for intense rainfall and thunderstorms that will cause flooding. What are conventional cloud seeding materials, and then how does nanotechnology come into play? At 10pm, Seqwater starts to release some of the water building up in Wivenhoe Dam. Dr. Zou: Yeah. Mar 27, 2022 Cloud Seeding, . Pilots get "really violent" threats after online rumors wrongly pin devastating floods on cloud seeding. What did you develop and how will it facilitate future research? Companies covered in Cloud Seeding Market are RHS Consulting, Ltd North American Weather Consultants, Inc. "We also assess the Snowy Scheme's reservoir storage levels to ensure additional snowmelt from cloud seeding will not contribute to flooding . The previous record was 600.4mm in 1974. Snowy Hydro's Cloud Seeding Program boasts that it has been able to increase rain or snow by 14 percent over the colder months. 4m ago. 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.. [2] [3] Around 85,000 people were displaced by the flooding or requested to leave their homes by authorities. Here are the tales of two unsuccessful Queensland rainmaking experiments -Brisbane, 1882 Advertisement, The Brisbane Courier, January 31, 1882In January . Do not sell or share my personal information. In the U.S., studies have found a few percentage points of increase in precipitation. 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.. Laurel: Certainly, a number of possible commercial ventures. Silver iodide is an ice-forming agent, which causes supercooled water droplets to freeze in the clouds. Feast to Famine: Mass Floods and Australia's High-Speed Rail. One user even claimed that planes about 1,200km away from the epicenter of the floods might be to blame. We only operate aircraft fitted with cameras for aerial photography survey purposes and we are not sure where this misinformation has started, Handel Aviation posted on its website, adding, our recent flights over flooded areas of NSW and QLD are in response to the floods. This process is known as glaciogenic cloud seeding. An atmospheric research expert told The Associated Press that cloud seeding would not change the dynamics of a cloud enough to cause massive flooding' (https://bit.ly/3NwnqJq). 2. An atmospheric research expert told The Associated Press that cloud seeding would not change the dynamics of a cloud enough to cause massive flooding. About as much as eight months' worth of rain has come down in just four days, bringing parts of Australia's largest city to a standstill. Another added: 'Absolutely nothing natural about the rainfall in the past 5 months. Pictured: Local residents wade through floodwater in Lismore, NSW. The delivery of this salt is to vaporize them by ignition by a flare device. Bartolo's move to Gold Coast came after getting arrested in a dramatic police raid in Melbourne in September 2020. These particles act as additional condensation nuclei. 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. Because the process is random and uncertain, the form and size of the particle cannot be controlled and most are probably too small to be effective cloud seeding materials. This podcast is produced in partnership with the UAE Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai. The report did not find evidence to prove that the cloud seeding flight contributed to the flood. Laurel: In the past, one of the challenges scientists encountered when researching cloud seeding was the lack of a simulation environment. Of these four experiments, the Snowy Mountains saw statistically significant increases in rainfall during the experiment. Cloud-seeding is a weather-modification practice used to artificially create or promote additional rain/snow from existing clouds. ', Pictured: Military vehicles move through Lismore, NSW, with much of town now underwater, James Bartolo (pictured)says the weather event is 'not natural' and created by the government. After extensive testing, the CSIRO has determined that cloud seeding is unlikely to be effective in much of Australia. Defence and National Security Intelligence. Like: 'we have the pilots' names, we know where you live, you're going to pay for this,' kind of stuff," Handel told AFP. This is done by firing small particles (usually silver iodide) into clouds . The increased snowfall can also benefit ski resorts within the cloud seeding areas. Scientists blame intense rainfall on a . Towards New Zealand, Domensino says, an area of high pressure known as a blocking high stops the system from moving away into the Tasman Sea. Dr. Zou leads a groundbreaking research project using nanotechnology to develop cloud-seeding materials. Australia's path towards Agenda 2030. The amount of snow or rain tied to cloud seeding has varied, with up to 14% reported in experiments in Australia. upcoming events, and more. So how did it come about, and how does it compare to the 2011 Brisbane disaster? At the moment, all possible solutions that could resolve the water shortage issue should be examined carefully. Posts shared online alleged aerial survey pilots from Handel Aviation caused a second deluge in the flood-ravaged New South Wales town of Lismore on March 31 by cloud seeding dispersing a substance into the clouds to prompt rain. And cloud. Handel Aviation operator Mark Handel told AFP on Thursday that the company does not seed clouds. A car is seen submerged in floodwater following heavy rains in the northern town of Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, March 30, 2022 in an image taken from video. Dr. Zou's research interests include applying nanotechnology and membrane science to the development of low energy and high efficiency novel desalination and water purification solutions. Iran has already accused Israel of stealing its water by using cloud-seeding that reduces rainfall over its territory. He was charged with incitement for allegedly encouraging his social media followers to attend an illegal rally. Sydney An Australian aviation company says it has received more than 100 threats following an online conspiracy theory that its pilots unleashed a flooding disaster by cloud seeding. However, Dr. Zou explains, The cloud-seeding materials used today have been around for many decades. I'm your host, Laurel Ruma. 2023 BBC. This stored water can help ensure renewable energy generation and downstream water availability during future drier years, when inflows are lower. Second, having the efficient seeding material for water droplet formation. Hydro Tasmania, a hydroelectric corporation, published their analysis after the flood to say that a cloud seeding flight was undertaken on June 5, 2016, which had no measurable impact on rainfall. The information and techniques are out of date and their effectiveness is not well understood.. Everything from wind speed, air movement and updraft, or a current of rising air, can affect a storms strength, Tessendorf said. For the third time this year, Sydney has been hit by major floods. 2022 AFP. AN AUSTRALIAN AVIATION company says it has received more than 100 threats following an online conspiracy theory that its pilots unleashed a flooding disaster by cloud seeding. Dr. Zou leads a groundbreaking research project using nanotechnology to develop cloud seeding materials. That aircraft was capturing images of the flood damage at the time, according to the statement. Climatology and Geophysics Agency BMKG said the great flood that hit Jakarta in early 2020 was "one of the most extreme rain events" since . "Cloud seeding aims to enhance the amount of rain falling from rain-bearing clouds," Mr McNamara said. , first developed in the 1940s, involves spraying fine particles of silver iodide and dry ice into a cloud system. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. All Rights Reserved. A pilot from Handel Aviation in Cessna 210N Centurion VH-JIL did a breakfast time cloud seeding run over Lismore South & Ballina today while sightseeing the massive flood below him, the post claimed without evidence, adding the names and contact information of employees at the company. As a result, flooding this time has been much more extensive from small creeks and large rivers, he says. Water vapour gathers around the particles and eventually falls as precipitation. This means cloud seeding operations happen only during suitable cold weather systems, generally cold fronts between May and October. A subtropical climate naturally suited to big rain events and a city and suburbs built beside rivers and creeks in front of mountain ranges. Hydro Tasmania also denied that its flights were to blame and said in a statement that an analysis shows the operation had no measurable impact on rainfall on that day.. Some social media users are spreading false theories about what has caused multiple floods in Australia in recent years. Some of the natural sources include bushfires, volcanoes and dust storms, while artificial sources of condensation nuclei include industry emissions and cloud seeding operations. There's no evidence to suggest it played a role in the 2022 floods in southeastern Australia, either. There is already local flooding from the intense and incessant rain that is interspersed with violent thunderstorms. Personalise your weather experience and unlock powerful new features. Water vapor in the atmosphere can then adhere to the particles, and condense into raindrops or snowflakes. Leverage advanced weather intelligence and decisioning tools for your enterprise business. I used an eight cubic meter chamber with controlled humidity and temperature. Most research has found that AgI, when dispersed in cloud seeding, has no adverse health effects on the environment. The language they are using such as "rain bombs" is clear enough for me,' a commenter said. Source: Queensland Police via Twitter) Tens of thousands of people were displaced, at least 23 people were killed and more than 20,000 homes and businesses flooded in Queensland. . 2022 . Trains are cancelled, bus services limited, the main Bruce Highway is closed at multiple locations and 51,000 people are without power. Brisbane has two features that make it susceptible to flooding. Steven Siems, from Monash University's School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment, is a cloud expert. Additionally, silver iodide, a common agent . Under NSW legislation, Snowy Hydro can only cloud seed when precipitation is likely to fall as snow to elevations below 1,400 metres. Siems, a professor who leads a Monash University team studying clouds and precipitation, said the practice is not conducted in the Northern Rivers region and it cannot cause flooding. She was awarded a grant by the UAE Research Program on rain enhancement science from 2016 to 2019. Cloud seeding gives these clouds a lot more ice crystals (or cloud nuclei). "Those numbers tell us that this is an inexpensive way to help add water to the system. However, some research has raised doubts about its longterm effects on the environment. . Australia floods: Nearly a metre of rain in just four days. [4] [5] The floods' damage was significant because rain fell on . Conventional water resources such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater have become very limited, which is driving scientists and engineers to look for alternative water resources, says Dr. Linda Zou, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Khalifa University of Science and Technology. 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. This nanoengineered shell core structured material can be activated at much broader relative humidity conditions such as about 65%. Conspiracy theorists . A really strong storm, she explained, will already have a very strong updraft and windflow characteristics that help create the cloud to begin with. The more people who know about this bulls**t the better.'. Cloud seeding can use either ground based generators and / or aviation for operations. As floods devastated Australia's east coast, social media posts accused a pilot of causing the disaster through cloud seeding, a weather modification technique that involves dropping a rain-inducing chemical into clouds. 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