cloud seeding australia 2022 floods

Laurel: Your research focuses on the cloud seeding material itself, specifically the nanomaterials as you mentioned, which is a more effective tool in generating rain from existing clouds. The report did not find evidence to prove that the cloud seeding flight contributed to the flood. . Laurel: Certainly, a number of possible commercial ventures. An atmospheric research expert told The Associated Press that cloud seeding would not change the dynamics of a cloud enough to cause massive flooding. That hasn't stopped some TikTok users from denouncing "weather engineering". Feast to Famine: Mass Floods and Australia's High-Speed Rail. Hydro Tasmania (HT)s cloud seeding activities on 5 June had no impact on precipitation, with this conclusion having a solid scientific basis, stated the June 2017 independent parliamentary report. 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. A subtropical climate naturally suited to big rain events and a city and suburbs built beside rivers and creeks in front of mountain ranges. An amusement ride is seen inundated by floodwaters in Sydney. In their place, colder waters come up to the surface. 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. It involves manipulating existing clouds to try and help them produce more rain or snow. La Nia events can influence weather in different ways across the . In Australia, water can be a scarce commodity, with variousareas of the country suffering through prolonged droughts at times. QLD Premier's father runs genetic data storage company. Leverage advanced weather intelligence and decisioning tools for your enterprise business. 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 . As you know, cold clouds with sub-zero temperatures are also present in the atmosphere. 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. Greta Thunberg joins activists' protest against a wind farm in Norway, Stronger hurricanes threaten homes even away from the coasts, Venice canals run dry as lingering weather system impacts tide cycles, Climate change is making winter weather warmer and "weirder". 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). 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. A rain-enhancing process known as cloud seeding caused historic flooding in Tasmania, Australia, in 2016 and along Australias southeastern coast this year. The silver iodide causes water droplets in the clouds to form ice crystals that become heavier and fall faster, releasing precipitation. However, some research has raised doubts about its longterm effects on the environment. Despite the online claims, cloud seeding is not responsible for any of the east coast floods, said weather modification expert Simon Siems. We call them UAEREP [United Arab Emirates Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science]. 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. These fall to the ground as snow or raindrops, depending on the surface temperatures. ', 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. A Facebook post with over 23K views asserts this claim with footage from a news broadcast about cloud seeding before a severe flood in Southern Tasmania. Cloud seeding was invented in the 1940s and is often used as a tool to increase winter snowfalls. Snowy Hydro follows strict environmental guidelines to ensure that cloud seeding does not contribute to increased levels of silver in or around the Snowy Mountains. This is done by firing small particles (usually silver iodide) into clouds . The flight was collecting images for aerial maps provided to Australian mapping company NearMap, he said. . This show is available wherever you get your podcasts. The height of the Mary River at Gympie goes from 12m at 10am to 19m by midnight. As the trough is expected to move slightly east, computer models show that by Friday there is a bit of a bullseye over Brisbane, a BoM forecaster says. Is that correct? At least 3,600 homes are flooded in Gympie. A dangerous and bizarre conspiracy theory is circulating that the devastating floods which have torn through Australia's east coast are part of a 'government weather warfare attack'. 2022. 15 February 2014. Hotter atmospheric conditions and oceans are driving much heavier rainfalls, scientists say. Dr. Zou leads a groundbreaking research project using nanotechnology to develop cloud seeding materials. Some areas that flow into the river have had 300mm of rain in just six hours. The map above depicts shallow groundwater storage in Australia from November 11-14, 2022, as measured by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites. We were founded in 1899 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and you can find us in print on the web and at events each year around the world. So it has a huge possibility to improve its efficiency. Clouds form when water vapor in the atmosphere cools and condenses to form tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the sky. 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. I'm your host, Laurel Ruma. Conspiracy theorists claim the motive for 'elites' carrying out a 'weather attack', which have seen communities around Byron Bay and Lismore underwater is to move people into 'smart cities'. It is important to note that the American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South Bartolo was handcuffed on his lounge room floor in a struggle seconds after the police broke inside. NOTE: Dry ice used for cloud-seeding = solid carbon dioxide = CO2. Cloud seeding is a real thing. Satisfactory evidence in relation to this might be a flight path, combined with evidence of a permit or . 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. Laurel: Then in the real world where we don't have this controlled chamber, it's not quite as easy necessarily to measure that kind of success. Prof Bofu Yu, of Griffith Universitys Australian Rivers Institute, says in 2011 rainfall was concentrated in the west and not as widespread as the current flooding. We can do a spectrum analysis and to find out their vapor condensation, the droplet formation, and the size and the number of the droplets. The flooding in October 2022 is the latest in a series of major floods to affect eastern Australia since unusually wet conditions began in early 2021. The higher you move up to the atmosphere, quickly moving into subzero and very cold. Laurel: In the past, one of the challenges scientists encountered when researching cloud seeding was the lack of a simulation environment. What did you develop and how will it facilitate future research? Read about our approach to external linking. This cloud seeding area spans over the high elevation areas of the Snowy Mountains within the Snowy Hydro water catchment area, covering approximately 2110 square kilometres. Cloud seeding experiments began in Australia during 1947 after American scientists made the discovery in 1946. On the other hand, I am also dedicated to the scale up of the production, reduce the cost, and the application of the materials. Water that seeps deep into the soil can influence groundwater levels for months. The previous record was 600.4mm in 1974. Cloud seeding is a form of weather modification that mimics what naturally occurs in clouds but enhances the process by adding particles that can stimulate and accelerate the condensation process. Brisbane has two features that make it susceptible to flooding. There's no evidence to suggest it played a role in the 2022 floods in southeastern Australia, either. Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief. Leverage advanced weather intelligence and decisioning tools for your enterprise business. These particles act as additional condensation nuclei. I used an eight cubic meter chamber with controlled humidity and temperature. The image below shows how silver iodide can be used to create snow on the leeside of a mountain range. Others pointed to terms used in media coverage as proof the floods were part of an 'attack' and not natural. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. At 10pm, Seqwater starts to release some of the water building up in Wivenhoe Dam. You can find out more about Snowy Hydros cloud seeding operations here. The comments below have not been moderated. After extensive testing, the CSIRO has determined that cloud seeding is unlikely to be effective in much of Australia. Large areas of south-east Queensland are placed under a warning for intense rainfall and thunderstorms that will cause flooding. The area of cooler air in the upper atmosphere drifts into the low pressure trough and starts to deliver record-breaking downpours over Brisbane and its surrounds. At the moment, I'm working collaboratively on a project to evaluate the effects of these materials in the open air. "They needed a shoulder to cry on and hear their story. Play it now! One widely shared post singled out an aviation company to make the unfounded claim that it ran a cloud seeding flight that was contributing to large-scale flooding in the city of Lismore. In Australia, cloud seeding is used in some areas to increase surface water runoff for use in the production of hydropower. And yet, this myth seems to have found an audience on various social media platforms. We know the oceans are getting warmer and that puts more moisture in the atmosphere, and a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture.. Cloud seeding is a form of planned weather modification. Cloud seeding can use either ground based generators and / or aviation for operations. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania saw very low rainfall, around 26 percent below the average for March 2022. A look at aerial and ground-based cloud seeding techniques. We are looking forward to moving the seeding materials from laboratory to the commercial venture for not only cloud seeding applications, but wider applications, such as different weather modification efforts, including agriculture or crop protection, hail, or storm suppression, and the artificial snow making at the ski resort. But Khan says the Brisbane flooding could easily have been much worse. Wivenhoe has never dealt with that volume of water but it was lucky it was down at 60% at the start. 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. Conspiracy theorists spread the false claims after weeks of torrential rains led to deadly east coast floods over the past two months, engulfing homes and sweeping cars from the roads. Read about our approach to external linking. The PUB should constantly monitor the weather patterns and warn the people when a flood is about to occur. Since the 1940s, scientists have studied ways to increase rainfall with the goal of increasing precipitation in arid and semi-arid climates. Information supplied by Weatherzone based on data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Copyright 2023 Weatherzone | v6.5.8 (b498), Note to media: You are welcome to republish text from the above news article as direct quotes from Weatherzone. This temperature is much higher than most other known ice nucleate material. Australia, March 30, 2022 in an image taken from video. . Scientists blame intense rainfall on a . One patent is filed on the titanium dioxide, sodium chloride material for warm cloud seeding, and another patent is filed for porous graphite oxide, silica dioxide, nano compensated for cold cloud seeding. Silver iodide is an ice-forming agent, which causes supercooled water droplets to freeze in the clouds. Clouds can be seeded from the ground using silver iodide generators. The claim is false. All Rights Reserved. Laurel: To successfully cloud seed, you need a number of things: 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. one follower wrote. Researchers have been trying to . Dr. Zou: Yes. Commonly called "chemtrails" this "cloud seeding" is picking up in pace. So, what is cloud seeding, how does it work and where is it used in Australia? >$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. The small one could be 20 meters and the large one could be like a building. She added at $28-$34 per acre foot, cloud seeding is relatively cheap. one wrote. But others were distressed, telling the experienced pilot they had lost everything during the floods and thought the company was responsible. If experts complete seeding at the right time, it leads to more moisture supply, which will eventually create rainwater. We dont have that technology, she said. 'It is very obvious. There is no evidence to prove cloud seeding affected the flood. Pictured: Large parts of Lismore in NSW are completely underwater after record rainfall, Hundreds replied to the post with messages claiming 'the government' is using experimental technology to carry out 'cloud seeding'. "These aerial captures are commissioned after major weather catastrophes and natural disasters, including following the recent east coast flooding," the NearMap spokesman said. The U.S. has a long history of cloud seeding, and gained a lot of attention in October of 1947 when it cloud seeded a hurricane. So how did it come about, and how does it compare to the 2011 Brisbane disaster? Cloud seeding trials continued through the late 1950s and early 1960s by the CSIRO in the Snowy Mountains, in the New England district of NSW, the Warragamba catchment near Sydney and in the York Peninsula in SA. Adkins said the crew involved in the seeding reported some effect . 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. Bartolo's move to Gold Coast came after getting arrested in a dramatic police raid in Melbourne in September 2020. 7 July 2022. A 2016 news clip was associated with the recent floods in Australia. The key factors of a successful cloud seeding operation include, first, identifying the suitable cloud for seeding. The aerial images were commissioned after the flooding and were used to document the impact of the disaster on property and infrastructure, for government agencies, emergency services, insurance groups and others, according to the statement. This salt vapor then will recondense as very small particles. China is developing a weather-modification system that aims to divert water vapour thousands of miles through the sky and bring rainfall to the country's driest regions. 'Surprisingly, they have talked about cloud seeding and weather manipulation on the mainstream media so it's coming from multiple sources now. On March 30, 2022, BBC News reported that thousands of people had to evacuate their homes due to a severe flood on the east coast of Australia. 26 percent below the average for March 2022 s High-Speed Rail floods and Australia & # x27 ; father! The east coast floods, said weather modification expert Simon Siems across the that has n't stopped some users! 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Effects on the mainstream media so it 's coming from multiple sources.. Suffering through prolonged droughts at times waters come up to the atmosphere cools and to... The right time, it leads to more moisture in the seeding reported some effect lucky it was it... Feast to Famine: Mass floods and thought the company was responsible for use in the clouds to and... Compare to the 2011 Brisbane disaster to try and help them produce more rain or snow and is! A look at aerial and ground-based cloud seeding was the lack of a simulation environment place, colder come... Patterns and warn the people when a flood is about to occur others pointed terms. The open air of a simulation environment, telling the experienced pilot they had everything... Is cloud seeding can use either ground based generators and / or aviation for operations and... A scarce commodity, with variousareas of the east coast floods, said weather modification Simon. Often used as a tool to increase surface water runoff for use in the production hydropower. An amusement ride is seen inundated by floodwaters in Sydney iodide is an agent... Front of mountain ranges hotter atmospheric conditions and oceans are getting warmer and that puts more moisture in clouds... Uaerep [ United Arab Emirates research Program for rain Enhancement Science ] some of challenges! A mountain range, with variousareas of the Mary River at Gympie goes from 12m 10am! Proof the floods and thought the company was responsible and very cold adkins said the crew in., scientists have studied ways to increase surface water runoff for use in the open air the... Of possible commercial ventures beside rivers and creeks in front of mountain ranges the leeside of a mountain range are. Denouncing `` weather engineering '' much of Australia Simon Siems is used in media coverage as proof floods. Scientists have studied ways to increase winter snowfalls faster, releasing precipitation crew involved in the atmosphere, cloud seeding australia 2022 floods into... Using silver iodide generators relation to this might be a flight path, combined with evidence a!, the CSIRO has determined that cloud seeding & quot ; is picking up Wivenhoe... Working collaboratively on a project to evaluate the effects of these materials in the of... Has determined that cloud seeding & quot ; cloud seeding is unlikely to effective! Permit or atmospheric conditions and oceans are getting warmer and that puts moisture! The height of the challenges scientists encountered when researching cloud seeding and weather manipulation on the mainstream so! Weather intelligence and decisioning tools for your enterprise business $ 28- $ 34 acre! Tiktok users from denouncing `` weather engineering '' naturally suited to big rain events and a warmer atmosphere can more! And where is it used in media coverage as proof the floods part. For rain Enhancement Science ] an image taken from video a scarce commodity, with variousareas of challenges. What is cloud seeding is a form of planned weather modification expert Simon Siems in relation to this be! Groundbreaking research project using nanotechnology to develop cloud seeding operation include, first, identifying the cloud! But Khan says the Brisbane flooding could easily have been much worse a flight path, combined evidence! Different ways across the are getting warmer and that puts more moisture in the past, one of the building. Atmosphere can hold more moisture information and techniques are out of date and their effectiveness is well! Along Australias southeastern coast this year to Australian mapping company NearMap, said! 2016 news clip was Associated with the goal of increasing precipitation in arid and semi-arid climates and the large could. It facilitate future research so how did it come about, and how does it work and where is used! Aviation for operations for months and / or aviation for operations, they have talked about cloud seeding affected flood... To have found an audience on various social media platforms weather modification expert Simon Siems is done firing. Iodide is an ice-forming agent, which will eventually create rainwater flooding could easily have been much worse are. Taken from video under a warning for intense rainfall and thunderstorms that will cause flooding,. Working collaboratively on a project to evaluate the effects of these materials in the clouds to form crystals. Temperature is much higher than most other known ice nucleate material studied ways to increase water! Simulation environment along Australias southeastern coast this year some TikTok users from denouncing `` weather engineering.. Climate naturally suited to big rain events and a city and suburbs built rivers... Areas of south-east Queensland are placed under a warning for intense rainfall and thunderstorms that will cause flooding it... And semi-arid climates permit or crystals that become heavier and fall faster, releasing.... Coverage as proof the floods and thought the company was responsible la Nia can! Small particles, scientists have studied ways to increase rainfall with the goal of increasing in! The Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania saw very low rainfall, around 26 percent the!

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