Cloud Chambers

Source: This post on Cloud Chambers has been created based on the article “Why India is building a cloud chamber as part of Mission Mausam” published in Indian Express on 23rd October 2024.

Why in news?

With Mission Mausam, India is constructing a cloud chamber with convection properties essential for studying Indian monsoon clouds. Globally, only a few convective cloud chambers exist.

About Cloud Chamber

1. About: A cloud chamber is a closed cylindrical or tubular drum where water vapor, aerosols, and other elements are injected under controlled humidity and temperature to form clouds.

2. Purpose: This facility will enable scientists to study the particles that form cloud droplets or ice particles in a controlled environment.

3. Objectives of Building the Convective Cloud Chamber: To study the behavior of clouds during normal and extreme weather, intra-particle interactions, and the formation of rain and ice particles.

4. Aim: The aim is to understand moisture interactions and cloud behavior influenced by weather systems like cyclones and low-pressure areas. This knowledge will guide weather modification strategies for the region.

5. Significance of the Convective Cloud Chamber

i) Limited Global Availability: Only a few convective cloud chambers exist worldwide, designed to study cloud dynamics with convection properties.

ii) Relevance to Indian Weather: The chamber will be tailored to study Indian monsoon clouds and gain insights into cloud physics in conditions specific to India.

6. Application of the Cloud Chamber

Controlled Experiments: Scientists will simulate different environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and convection within the chamber to study cloud behavior.

Advanced Instrumentation: Over the next 18-24 months, a focus will be on developing complex instrumentation and probes for in-depth study when the chamber is operational.

7. India’s Experience with Cloud Seeding

CAIPEEX Programme: India’s cloud seeding experience includes the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX), conducted over four phases in Maharashtra.

Results of Cloud Seeding: The experiments demonstrated that cloud seeding could enhance rainfall by up to 46% in specific areas under suitable conditions.

8. Limitations: Despite its potential, cloud seeding is not seen as a universal solution to address rainfall deficits across all regions.

UPSC Syllabus: Science and technology