Cloud Aerosol Interaction And Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX).
As things stand today, artificial rain making techniques involving cloud seeding cannot be used for bringing rain clouds to rainfall deficit/drought areas. Stating this in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Shri Y.S.Chowdary said that these techniques can only induce potential clouds, already passing over a given place, to produce enhanced quantum of rain.
He informed the House that the Earth System Science Organization - Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (ESSO-IITM) is putting its effort in understanding the rain formation in clouds through studying cloud microphysical characteristics through a research program Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX).
CAIPEEX has so far contributed to total of around 800h of intense observations involving instrumented aircraft, radars and other surface based instruments. These observations have helped in better understanding of characteristics of monsoon clouds and interactions of clouds and aerosols. Specifically, the findings suggest the key role of dust aerosol (pollutant) on cloud and rain processes over the Indian monsoon region. These observations are being used to improve the representation and characterization of clouds in the weather and climate models. On the whole, 23 randomized seeding experiments were carried out both by flares and fine grained salt powder following World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Weather Modification Expert Committee recommendations, he added.
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KSP/SS