The guardian
Let it rain: US states embrace ‘clouds sow’ to try to overcome drought
Sowing clouds involves adding small particles of silver iodide to clouds to stimulate rainfall – but will it work? An empty irrigation canal at a tree farm in Corrales, New Mexico. Forty percent of the U.S. west of the Continental Gorge has been classified as ‘exceptional drought’, the worst of four levels of drought. Photo: Susan Montoya Bryan / AP With three-quarters of the American west gripped by a seemingly relentless drought, several states are increasingly taking drastic action – changing the weather to encourage more rainfall. The latest reports from the U.S. Drought Monitor have delivered a sobering reading, with 40% of the U.S. west of the continental divide classified as ‘extraordinary drought’, the worst of four levels of drought. It is just slightly below 47% in January, a record in the 20-year history of the monitor and the barrier to storms of late winter storms will guarantee the Western states almost an external year. “We haven’t had much in the winter rain or snow yet, which is worrying because we hope to put a big dive into the drought,” said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the National Center for Drought Mitigation. “It looks like it’s going to be a very difficult year. We are probably looking at increased fire hazards, water restrictions and also the impact on ecosystems, such as small rivers and streams and the wildlife that lives there. ‘The tension of drought, with the water supply to drink and to supply the vast agricultural systems in the west, has prompted eight states to look at a form of weather change called the clouds boring to ward off the worst. Sowing clouds involves the use of airplanes or drones to add small particles of silver iodide, which has a structure like ice, to clouds. Water droplets clump around the particles together, changing the structure of the clouds and increasing the chance of precipitation. “With the drought still a major concern, the use of clouds is an encouraged technology to use for Wyoming based on our drought plan,” said Julie Gondzar, project manager of the state’s water development office. “It’s a cheap way to add water to our sinks, in small, incremental amounts over long periods of time.” Cloud-boring experiments have been going on since the 1940s, but until recently there was little certainty that the method had a positive impact. But research last year succeeded in determining the snowfall that ‘unequivocally’ stems from the sowing of clouds, and Gondzar said that officials in Wyoming and elsewhere ‘came to the conclusion that the sowing of clouds works and an effective way is to help in drought-stricken areas, without negative environmental impact. ”. Others now want to participate, including the “four corners” – Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico – that have been plagued by the most extreme version of the latest drought. “We are very hopeful for this year’s significant funding with a view to doing enough for the entire state to do in the future,” said Rick Ledbetter, a supervisor of the Roosevelt Land and Water District in New Mexico. . . “I believe that in the future there will be no choice but to look at weather change.” Experts who have studied cloud seed point out that it is not a panacea, as it does not solve the systemic causes of drought and can be difficult to implement – only certain clouds in certain weather conditions can be sown with budding rain and there is no guarantee for it will not break a drought, even if it is successful. “I do not think the cloud seed will solve the problem, but it can help,” said Katja Friedrich, a University of Colorado researcher who studied the issue. ‘It must be part of a broader water plan that involves saving water efficiently. We can not just focus on one thing. There is also the question of whether you will be able to do this in a changing climate. You need cold temperatures and once it gets too hot you are not able to sow the cloud. While states are trying to formulate a response to the growing threat of drought, advocates warn that poorer people and people of color are likely to suffer from a water-limited future. Miguel Hernandez, of the nonprofit Committee Civico de Valle Group in Imperial Valley, Southern California, said the drought continues to pose problems for Latino agricultural workers, some of whom have to use irrigation canals to boil water or to brushing teeth. . “It’s a priority to get them good drinking water,” he said. ‘There are problems with water that is also diverted to metropolitan areas, leaving us with little or no water in our region. The drought is causing a lot of problems here. “The current drought has been building up since an unusually hot summer last year, but the past 20 years can collectively be seen as a ‘mega-drought’ in the American west,” Fuchs said. Scientists have pointed to the climate crisis as a major cause. “There has been very little relief and it could very well be a precursor to what can be expected for the West in the future,” Fuchs said. “It’s scary to think that way.”