Countries that want it to rain can shoot a certain type of chemical into the air, says Maurice Middendorp of Buienradar. Water droplets then nestle on those chemicals. Middendorp: “That happens in clouds that normally would not rain. The cloud is also possible, but it must be damp.”
Difficult to dose
The chemicals and water droplets then attach themselves more and more to each other. “It clumps together. Until the whole becomes too heavy. And then it falls down, like rain,” says Middendorp.
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In Dubai things have got a bit out of hand now. Because, says Middendorp: “It is difficult to dose. And it is of course not a good idea at all.”
Poison in groundwater
Then why isn’t it a good idea? Except that it can get out of hand, like in Dubai. Simple: the chemicals that you shoot into the air also come down. “That also ends up in groundwater,” says Middendorp. “Moreover, of course, you don’t make everyone happy with the rain. Take the ice cream maker for example.”
The traffic in Dubai is completely blocked by the rain:
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Dubai is not the only place where they sometimes use cloud seeding. “They also did it for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Then they did it for the Games, to let the air drain out so that they had dry weather during the opening ceremony. And also in Russia they sometimes use it “
Idea for Australia?
Could it then also be a good idea for the forest fires in Australia now? No, says Middendorp. “The question is how humid the air is anyway. I think it is very dry. Then you have to use a lot of chemicals for just a few showers. And when it comes to a small shower right above the fire, there is also a lot of wind coming down, because the fires might even just get fired up. The toxic substances that come with the rain naturally also have a negative effect. “
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