Cloud ‘seeding’ not an option for us

Donal Hickey on manipulating cloud to produce rain.

MOST of humanity leaves the weather to the vagaries of nature, but scientists have long since wanted to manipulate or even control it. The idea is that clouds can be “seeded” to produce rain in areas of drought, or to clear fog around airports and other areas where visibility is impaired. This has been tried for decades in arid areas of America, such as Nevada, and also in Russia and China where, last year, efforts were made to ensure the weather remained dry for the ceremonial opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Given our unpredictable weather in Ireland, the concept is interesting. According to Met Éireann, however, cloud “seeding” has not been attempted here. Nor are we likely to see any attempts in the future.