Control the weather? These are attempts society has made to tame the skies
Can humans control the weather? A look at a few examples where they have tried and failed, as the future of geoengineering becomes a reality.
As climate change intensifies the severity of weather around the world, the desire to control Mother Nature will grow stronger. The lack of hubris is palpable, and here we will examine some of those attempts that, although well-intentioned in many cases, ended poorly, often leading to unintended consequences.
Civil War General with a theory on “rainmaking”
One classic example of an attempt to control the weather comes from U.S. history during the Civil War. Edward Powers, a former Union general, thought he had figured out a pattern in the rains, but what he failed to recognize is that correlation doesn’t always equal causation. Powers became convinced that after each battle, the rain would come—a phenomenon he believed had some spiritual or natural significance. After the war, he looked to test his theory, which, according to History.com, brought him to West Texas, where he and a group of “rainmaking” enthusiasts launched all sorts of weaponry into the sky. A small amount of rain followed the “test,” leading the General to conclude that his hypothesis was correct.
The next generation of weather manipulation...
In the 1940s, the US Army Signal Corps, in collaboration with General Electric (GE), embarked on a new experiment to test the emerging practice of cloud seeding. In these early stages of exploration, the US government was interested in tracking and better understanding hurricane patterns to be able to manipulate their strength and movement.
What is cloud seeding?
Clouds form when water vapor in the atmosphere cools and condenses around tiny particles, dust, or ice nuclei floating in the atmosphere. When the small water droplets or ice crystals that develop become too heavy, they fall to the Earth in the form of precipitation.
Cloud seeding is the process of adding more of these particles into a cloud, thus improving its ability to produce precipitation. Common agents include “silver iodide, liquid propane, dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), and various salt compounds,” according to the North American Weather Modification Council (NAWMC).
Particles can be introduced into clouds either from the ground or by flying planes into them. However, atmospheric conditions must be just right - not every cloud is suitable for producing precipitation, and not every type of precipitation, such as snow or rain, can be created. When properly applied, the practice can lead to rainfall increases of 10 percent or more, according to NAWMC.
GE meteorologist Vincent Schaefer conceived the idea for cloud seeding and, through his partnership with the US government, was able to see it tested.
In October 1947, as a hurricane approached Florida, 80 kilograms of dry ice were dropped into the storm. The consequences would be catastrophic for the coastal town in Georgia. After the dry ice was dropped, the hurricane quickly changed directions and gained intensity. According to Earth Magazine, the storm ended up causing more than $2 million in damage, which would be worth around $29 million today. For Uncle Sam, the bill was even higher, with residents suing for the devastation caused.
A more modern example
One example of weather manipulation gone wrong occurred recently. Though the United Arb Emirates has been engaging in cloud seeding since the 1990s, last year, record-breaking rainfall and floods brought the country to a standstill.
What happened in Dubai?
After the floods began in April 2024, Ahmed Habib, a meteorologist specializing at NCM, informed Bloomberg that seeding aircraft conducted seven operations over two days before the heavy rains that flooded parts of the desert nation. This led some to attribute the once-in-a-century event to the weather modification technique.
While it may have played a role, other atmospheric factors might have had a larger impact. Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli highlighted the significant amount of dust from the desert that was suspended in the air as the rain bomb traveled over Dubai. This dust can also act as a cloud seeder, prompting him to question whether artificial seeding should truly be held responsible for the torrential rainfall.
The example from Dubai shows that although people have the power to manipulate the weather, there are always risks that must be accounted for, as they can lead to disastrous, dangerous, and even fatal consequences.
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