While many places are experiencing a period of severe drought, there may be a solution. China and many other countries have been creating a way to make artificial rain and snow to solve their drought issue. Droughts affect many parts of the world today, including Santa Clarita. Countries all over the world dealing with droughts struggle with poor vegetation and lack of food. Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Iran, and Morocco are countries that are currently facing this situation. 

Although controlling the weather may seem like something far into the future, many other countries, including the United States, have been studying “cloud seeding.” Business Insider states that China has been working on the concept of artificial rain since the 1960s, when the idea was first discovered. The process of creating artificial rain is done with automated drones that release silver iodide. Silver iodide assists in ice crystal formations in clouds and is not harmful to humans or any animals according to Dri.edu. This method has proven effective in China and the U.S.

The U.S. has been using the cloud seeding program for the past 10 years in Wyoming and Nevada. Nevada has seen a 10% increase in snowfall and Wyoming has seen a 5-10% increase in rain and snow. Starting in the year 2020, San Luis Obispo has also started using the cloud seeding program and has seen tremendous results. According to the 2020 San Luis Obispo Report, the amount of rainfall increased by 15-90% in the San Luis Obispo Reservoir. 

Although cloud seeding may seem like a miracle, especially to countries suffering from droughts, there may be some defects to this experiment. According to Forbes.com, cloud seeding may cause environmental issues relating to drastic weather changes and effects on the ozone layer. The ozone layer can be depleted even more and ocean acidity will increase, which can be a significant threat to ocean life over time. Not only this, but if this program were to stop being used, there would be extreme heat and irregular rain patterns in the areas where it is used. This means that if the cloud seeding drones are abruptly stopped, countries will suffer even more. Whether the program will continue throughout the world is still uncertain as many are trying to find a solution to the environmental changes and droughts. 

There are multiple benefits of cloud seeding, but is it worth the environmental damage that it is producing? Hopefully, in the future droughts will no longer be a problem to countries that cannot produce enough food to feed their population while still keeping Earth’s ozone layer. If you want to make a difference in saving water and helping stop the drought in California go to Epa.gov.