Cloud chamber

25.10.2024

Cloud chamber

Why in the news?   

          India is establishing a first-of-its-kind cloud chamber at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.

About Cloud Chamber:

• A cloud chamber is a scientific apparatus that mimics the conditions required for cloud formation.
• It resembles a closed cylindrical or tubular drum, inside which water vapour, aerosols, etc. are injected.
• Under the desired humidity and temperature inside this chamber, a cloud can develop.
• India is building a cloud chamber with convection properties, as required to study Indian monsoon clouds. Globally, there are only a handful of convective cloud chambers.
• Objective: The objective of establishing a convective cloud chamber is to gain a better understanding of cloud physics under conditions commonly affecting Indian weather systems. Thereafter, this knowledge can be used for strategic planning of weather modification.
• The Pune facility will allow scientists to study the seed particles that form cloud droplets or ice particles in a sustained manner.

○Cloud physics basically involves the study of cloud behaviour during normal and extreme conditions; intra-particle interactions inside a cloud; the formation of rain droplets and ice particles; the influence of moisture added into the atmosphere due to cyclones or low pressure systems; and interactions between different cloud layers, among others.

• Significance: Scientists will have the flexibility to tailor physical and atmospheric parameters to suit environmental requirements that influence the Indian weather and climate.

Why is India building a convective cloud chamber?

• Cloud physics involves studying cloud behavior, including interactions between particles, the formation of rain droplets and ice, and the impact of added atmospheric moisture from cyclones or low-pressure systems.
• Establishing a convective cloud chamber aims to enhance understanding of these processes under conditions specific to Indian weather.

○The controlled environment will enable them to manipulate parameters like temperature, humidity, and convection to better understand monsoon cloud behavior.

• This knowledge will support strategic planning for weather modification.

India’s experience with cloud seeding

• The Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) was a decade-long program conducted in four phases, focusing on cloud seeding to enhance rainfall.
• In the final phase (2016-2018), experiments were conducted in the rain-shadow regions of Solapur, Maharashtra.
• Results showed that, under suitable conditions, cloud seeding could increase rainfall by up to 46% in certain locations and by about 18% in a 100 sq. km area downwind of the seeding site.
• Despite these positive findings, it is acknowledged that cloud seeding is not a complete solution to rainfall issues.

                                                                 Source: Indian Express

Consider the following statements regarding the Cloud chamber:

1. It is a scientific apparatus that mimics the conditions required for cloud formation.

2. India is building its first cloud chamber at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Madras.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A.1 only

B.2 only

C.Both 1 and 2

D.Neither 1 nor 2

Answer A