The History of Weather Modification

Summary

This video explores the fascinating history of human weather modification, from WWII efforts to help pilots land in dense fog to modern-day cloud seeding and weather manipulation. It covers early techniques like cloud seeding to trigger rainfall and the U.S. military’s attempts to control hurricanes and disrupt enemy forces during the Vietnam War. The video also touches on controversial instances, such as Soviet weather manipulation during the Chernobyl disaster. Today, countries like China and the UAE continue experimenting with weather control, despite challenges in proving effectiveness and potential unintended consequences.

Takeaways

• 😀 Weather modification has been used since WWII to help pilots land safely in foggy conditions by creating large flames to disperse the fog.
• 😀 Cloud seeding, developed in 1946, involves dispersing substances like dry ice, salt, or silver iodide into clouds to trigger rain or snowfall.
• 😀 In the 1960s, the US tested cloud seeding on hurricanes in an attempt to weaken them, but the tests ultimately failed.
• 😀 During the Vietnam War, the US used weather modification to induce rainfall, damaging enemy infrastructure by extending the monsoon season.
• 😀 After the Vietnam program was exposed, the US and USSR negotiated a ban on using environmental modification for military purposes in 1977.
• 😀 Despite the 1977 treaty, countries continued using weather modification for other purposes, such as the USSR's use during the 1986 Chernobyl disaster to avoid radioactive fallout in Moscow.
• 😀 Currently, 37 countries are involved in weather modification programs aimed at enhancing rainfall or suppressing hail.
• 😀 China has the largest weather modification operation, employing 37,000 personnel and over 4,000 rocket launchers to induce rainfall in dry areas.
• 😀 The Chinese weather bureau successfully kept Beijing dry during the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony and brought snow to Beijing in 2009 after a drought.
• 😀 The United Arab Emirates has used electrical towers to supercharge cloud formation in an attempt to bring rain, though some experts remain skeptical of the technology's effectiveness.
• 😀 While weather modification is hard to prove conclusively, many countries continue to use it, and the consequences of such interventions are still not fully understood.

Q & A

What was the initial challenge faced by the British Air Force during WWII?

The British Air Force pilots were crashing while trying to land in heavy fog, which was so thick that some crews ditched their planes and parachuted out rather than landing blind.

How did scientists help the British Air Force pilots during WWII?

Scientists developed a plan to install gasoline pipelines along the runway and ignite them, creating rows of flame that evaporated fog droplets, allowing the pilots to see the airfield and land safely.

What is cloud seeding and how does it work?

Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique where substances like dry ice, salt, or silver iodide are dispersed into clouds to alter their microphysical processes and trigger rain or snowfall.

What was the purpose of the US government's cloud seeding tests on hurricanes in the 1960s?

The tests aimed to determine if cloud seeding could weaken hurricanes by dispersing silver iodide into the storm's eye, with hopes of reducing wind speeds and breaking apart the eyewall.

Why was the US government's hurricane cloud seeding program eventually canceled?

The hypothesis that cloud seeding could weaken hurricanes was invalidated as observational technology improved, and more controlled tests showed no lasting effects, leading to the program's cancellation.

What was the US military's use of weather modification during the Vietnam War?

The US military used weather modification to induce heavy rainfall to muddy or destroy enemy dirt roads and trails, dropping 47,000 canisters of silver iodide over North and South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

What happened after the New York Times exposed the US military's weather modification program in Vietnam?

The weather modification program was discontinued two days after the New York Times revealed it to the public.

What significant treaty was signed in 1977 in response to weather modification programs?

In 1977, the US and the USSR negotiated a treaty banning the military use of offensive environmental modification techniques, although it didn't stop countries from using cloud seeding for non-military purposes.

How did the Soviet Union use weather modification during the Chernobyl disaster?

In 1986, the Soviet Union used weather modification to disperse a substance into clouds to create heavy, radioactive rain in Belarus, preventing fallout from reaching Moscow.

What is China's weather modification capability like today?

China has a large weather modification program with the Bureau of Weather Modification, employing 37,000 personnel and over 4,000 rocket launchers, aircraft, and anti-aircraft guns to induce rainfall in dry areas, including high-profile operations like keeping Beijing dry during the 2008 Olympics.