Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 8
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran plans to launch a new round of cloud seeding from November as experts forecast rainfall decrease in autumn, Mohammad Mehdi Javadian, head of Iran's Cloud Seeding Research Center said.
Javadian said that the seeding operation can start in early November if the needed assets are allocated by the end of October, ISNA news agency reported Sept. 8.
He further said that over $3 billion is needed for seeding clouds for six months.
Cloud seeding process can increase precipitation by 10 to 15 percent in the target region, Javadian added.
Cloud seeding, a form of weather modification, changes the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, which alter the microphysical processes within the cloud.
The most common chemicals used for cloud seeding include silver iodide, potassium iodide and dry ice (solid carbon dioxide).
Iran carried out cloud seeding operations in various provinces including Yazd, Kerman, Fars, Isfahan, West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Tehran last year.
The country currently has two special aircraft capable of carrying out the project, and there are plans to get the total amount of aircraft up to five in the next four years.