11 ms·
Iran begins cloud seeding operations as drought bites
- paxys 1y agoHas this ever been proven to actually work?
- UebVar 1y agoNo, and explanations on how it could work are implausible.
- thepratt 1y agoDubai has an entire active operation. It looks like it does work, but how well is debated. Seems to have enough of an impact (correlation or causation) that they haven't shut it down yet.
- malfist 1y agoGovernments spending money on something doesn't mean it works. Bridges to nowhere are totally a thing
- magicalhippo 1y ago> Bridges to nowhere are totally a thing Come on now. It's not nowhere, there's 24 people living on that island, of course that's worth building a $45 million bridge for them[1]. (just the latest silly bridge project here in Norway) [1]: https://www.nrk.no/nordland/nordland-fylkesrad-vil-bygge-bro-mellom-forvik-og-hamnoya-i-vevelstad-1.17647860 https://www.nrk.no/nordland/nordland-fylkesrad-vil-bygge-bro...
- gus_massa 1y agoAutotranslaton: > However, there are only 24 permanent residents and five active farms on Hamnøya. Therefore, there is regular transport of tankers, concentrate feed and livestock trucks. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamn%C3%B8ya,_Vevelstad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamn%C3%B8ya,_Vevelstad > Hamnøya is an island in Vevelstad Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 16.6-square-kilometre (6.4 sq mi) island lies about 500 to 700 metres (0.3 to 0.4 mi) off shore from the mainland of the municipality, separated by the Vevelstadsundet strait. The island is only accessible by boat and in 2021 it had 35 permanent residents living on the island. I'm not sure if it's cheaper to upgrade both posts, but a bridge doesn't look so silly.
- Polizeiposaune 1y agoIt's at least better value than the once-proposed ~$400 million Gravina Island bridge in Alaska -- to serve 50 residents and an airport
- meindnoch 1y agoYeah, because Dubai is known for their prudent financials. Lol.
- Marsymars 1y agoIt works to e.g. prompt hail to fall outside of cities rather than directly onto cities.
- gus_massa 1y agoI think it's used in Mendoza (Argentina). They have very clean air, and sometimes they get big hailstorm the size of a gold ball. With the seeds, they get instead a lot of small ice crystals that (mostly?) melt while falling and are not harmful for people or farms. IIUC it's the same amount of water in the same place, but in a friendlier formfactor.
- adgjlsfhk1 1y agothe U.S did experiments in Vietnam that were fairly promising back in the 70s
- CapitalistCartr 1y agoOperation Popeye https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Popeye https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Popeye
- testing22321 1y agoSure. Ski resorts in Utah do it all the time to make it snow.
- drewmate 1y agoApparently there are companies trying similar things in the US - https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2025/11/13/cloud-seeding-utah-republians/ https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2025/11/13/cloud-seedin... First I'd heard of it... though Salt Lake City did just have its rainiest October on record.
- WhereIsTheTruth 1y agoThe UAE has partnered with the US and NASA on cloud seeding research, and the US has been doing it for decades https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/18/united-arab-emirates-is-using-cloud-seeding-tech-to-make-it-rain.html https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/18/united-arab-emirates-is-usin...
- BurningFrog 1y agoIt can make existing moisture in the air fall as rain where you want it to. Like over a water reservoir. But it obviously can't create more moisture than already is in the air.
- DANmode 1y agoThe Chinese pretty blatantly used it to tailor things for their Olympics. I’m a little surprised how this has gone under the radar, considering the black box “effing with the weather cycles” truly is.
- blackoil 1y agoConsidering it is done for many years all over the world no reason that particular should be on anyone's radar.
- DANmode 1y agoNo, the concept - not the “China” detail. It’s being discussed here (and elsewhere) like the US company talking about it is broaching a new concept.
- testing22321 1y agoSki resorts in the US have been doing it for a long time. No need to point the finger at the nasty Chinese.
- DANmode 1y agoSee other comment.
- Aurornis 1y agoIt has some effect, but it’s not an easy solution. It’s more of a modulator on top of weather, not a switch you can flip to induce as much rain as you want on demand.
- marshmallow_12 1y agoDiscussion from last week https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45871043 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45871043 Iran is in a bad predicament. Largely self inflicted but that in no way diminishes from the horror of a looming humanitarian disaster.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- TheAceOfHearts 1y agoEarlier today I watched a video[0] that helped contextualize the water situation in Iran. The key takeaway for me was that Iran has been rapidly depleting their water reserves and they don't have any ways to quickly refill them, nor do they have treaties with neighboring countries to guarantee water. That video doesn't mention cloud seeding at all. How should we think about cloud seeding? Does this technology actually move the needle at all on Iran's water needs or is this just some dubious marketing campaign? [0] https://youtu.be/n8kSGH4I8Ps https://youtu.be/n8kSGH4I8Ps
- a2tech 1y agoI assume marketing. I’m wondering what will happen when they force the afghan refugees back over the border into Afghanistan since they don’t have the water to give them. Climate change and bad decisions from the last 50 years are starting to bite now. It’ll just get worse. Expect migrations and countries collapsing as millions of people are pushed to migrate for survival.
- yard2010 1y ago[flagged]
- ceejayoz 1y ago> using the water to fight a war Look, I know they didn’t fare well against Israeli F-35s and American B-2s, but the tech disparity isn’t quite as bad as them using Super Soakers for air defense. Ten million civilians are about to deeply suffer. A multi-year drought is a key contributor.
- matt_kantor 1y agoWhy not both? I'm no expert, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_Iran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_Iran (and its sources) indicate that climate change is part of the problem.
- ants_everywhere 1y ago
- calebm 1y ago"Cloud seeding involves spraying particles such as silver iodide and salt into clouds from aircraft to trigger rain." So... chemtrails?
- giggyhack 1y agoWeather modification has been a well understood, but not particularly effective program that has been run in various places across the US for decades. The main difference with chemtrails is that those are a bunch of nonsense conspiracy theories that assume that the government is trying to do widespread mind control. Weather modification is just trying to get it rain to rain a tiny bit more, with limited success. https://library.noaa.gov/weather-climate/weather-modification-project-reports https://library.noaa.gov/weather-climate/weather-modificatio...
- dmix 1y agoIsrael tried cloud seeding for decades and gave up after not being happy with the results https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/apme/62/3/JAMC-D-22-0077.1.xml https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/apme/62/3/JAMC-D-... China also had a big program. They tried to create rain for the Beijing olympics
- lithocarpus 1y agoReally? All this time the chemtrail people I know have been talking about weather control, I hadn't heard of mind control being part of it. My take has been yeah I know cloud seeding and solar geoenhineering is real, ergo some amount of chemtrails are "real" in that they are deliberate particulate being sprayed and not just water. While the thing the chemtrail people claim that seems dubious is the scale and other nuances - claiming that all contrails are chemtrails. It's the scale that we don't know and that I assume it's pretty small because it seems expensive and pointless to do it constantly. But I don't know how I could ascertain the scale at which it's done either.
- zamadatix 1y agoThe chemtrail conspiracies have always been a catch all for any idea except "it's a contrail or non-hidden spraying of some sort". To quote the 20 year old snapshot of the Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chemtrail_conspiracy_theory&oldid=28563480 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chemtrail_conspir...: > The term "chemtrail" should not be confused with other forms of aerial dumping (e.g. crop dusting, cloud seeding, aerial firefighting, although the principle is much the same. It specifically refers to covert, systematic, high-altitude dumping of unknown substances generally for some illicit purpose, be it that of Governments, terrorists, private corporations, or all of the above. > Among the theories proposed for the purpose of the alleged "chemtrails": atmospheric and weather modification, biological warfare, mind control, occult purposes, or other functions associated with a New World Order.
- yubblegum 1y ago[flagged]
- Ozzie_osman 1y ago> These miserable [A] and their idiot low iq followers have destroyed [B]. Careful with this statement, it might generalize more than you think over the next few years.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- yubblegum 1y agoThe problem unfortunately is not unique to Iran or even a specific flavor of irrational, this is understood.
- sva_ 1y ago[flagged]
- inglor_cz 1y agoIran is the "principal-agent" problem embodied. The governing mullahs' interests are brutally divergent from those of the people in whose name they pretend to govern. Hence, the nuclear weapons program and all the cozying up to Russia.
- nashashmi 1y ago[flagged]
- energy123 1y agoThis is quite a distortion of the facts to push an agenda. Desalination technology can solve their problems completely, but they armed proxies that attacked the two countries in the region (Saudi Arabia and Israel) that can help them. They also imprisoned the one qualified guy in their country who blew the whistle on their water mismanagement (e.g. farming water intensive crops in a desert), Dr. Madani. You could read the Wikipedia page to learn the other man-made reasons behind this crisis. That's preferable than coming here to play defense for a corrupt theocracy. Not that I doubt that climate change is one of the causes.
- rjzzleep 1y agoYou think that's the only person that talks about the oligarchs excess farming? It's being talked about nonstop. The government just doesn't do anything about it. Iran has desalination facilities(75 in 2022 to be exact). But not enough and obviously only by the water. Iran has way less energy production than Saudi Arabia, which per capita would put it at a 4th or so. That's with the fact that Iran is a massively industrialized economy which none of the states in the area are. A lot of the UAE and especially the modern desalination plants are built in collaboration with France, Spain, China and Japan. Desalination technology transfer and construction by third parties in Iran is specifically restricted by the US. One of the things that would have helped Iran's energy problems is nuclear energy and we all know how that goes. It's kinda cute how you don't think that every single one of these facilities is a target for the US and Israel if Iran does not have any weapons deterrent. Iraq's civil infrastructure was leveled by the US in the beginning of the war in 2003.
- bad_haircut72 1y agoIts obviously not as dire (yet) but I think Texas will face something like this in the coming decades. Its the kind of problem that requires people at all levels of society to cooperate and sacrifice - farmers & businesses need to draw less, people need to use less and government needs intelligent and actionable policy, plus big investment into unsexy and invisble infrastructure upgrades - so basically we're screwed.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- vorpalhex 1y agoTexas is either desert or desert adjacent. We have always gotten our water by having torrential rains inconsistently. This doesn't mean don't conserve, be intelligent, etc. But this does mean that your water won't "balance out" year to year, you need to look at big 25-30 year intervals. Right now the single biggest waste of water in Austin is leaky pipes. Like infrastructure pipes owned by the city. Meanwhile our water conservation budget is going to billboards telling people to rush in the shower. The entire population could stop bathing and not reduce enough to make up for the leaks happening in the crumbling water infra.
- jkmcf 1y agoWe have similar problems in Colorado re: pipes leaking. People don't want to pay the full cost of water, which includes supporting infrastructure. Municipalities are caught between these unfunded costs and taxpayers refusing to pay 1¢ more. I believe the utilities require political approval to raise rates, so that doesn't happen either.
- martinpw 1y ago> We have always gotten our water by having torrential rains inconsistently I think OP is talking more about groundwater depletion: https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/panhandle-runs-on-water-depletion-of-ogallala-aquifer-driving-up-drought-risk https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/panhandle-runs-on-water-...
- 1y ago
- trescenzi 1y agoI occasionally see headlines like this and imagine them as part of an opening montage in a movie setting the scene for why society is dystopian/collapsed. Not that I have anything against cloud seeding, more that individually "X climate mitigation effort begins" headlines seem small and isolated but when taken together they start to become foreboding. We're not there yet but that's the point. Only when looking back will it become clear that taken in their totality we'll have a little map that shows us how we ended up somewhere.
- mabedan 1y agoWhat is the deal with the image of the article ? Mosques are as empty in Iran as churches are empty in the west. Yes the government is tightly coupled with religion, but this image isn’t representative of Iran at all.
- danielmarkbruce 1y agoAre there any good books which layout out the true state of Iran on the ground today?
- mctt 1y agoNot a book, but a 'fact'book; https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iran/ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iran/ Religions Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2% (2020 est.) Compared to the United Kingdom; https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-kingdom/ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-king... Religions Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 est.)
- nfg 1y agoIt’s likely very out of date (Iran has a young, culturally dynamic population) but I really enjoyed https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mantle-Prophet-Religion-Politics-Iran/dp/1851686169 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mantle-Prophet-Religion-Politics-Ir... - I read it before visiting Iran as a tourist 15 years ago.
- yubblegum 1y agohttps://old.reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/1oy91ju/the_islamic_republic_showcased_humans_in_cheap/ https://old.reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/1oy91ju/the_islami... Here is a short video to tell you all you need to know about what sort of people are now running Iran, and just what they think of the average captive Iranian over whom they misrule, while you wait for the books.
- lm28469 1y ago
- reeredfdfdf 1y agoIt's about time to start preparing for global geoengineering. Spraying our atmosphere with stuff that reflects light would buy us time to get emissions under control, and help avoiding the worst scenarios. Best of all, we know it works, thanks to emissions from maritime traffic and the spike in temperature rise after they got cleaner.
- ares623 1y agoMmm yeah keep digging that hole. Maybe eventually we’ll pop up the other end and find paradise.
- therein 1y ago[flagged]
- The_President 1y ago[dead]
- The_President 1y ago[dead]
- downrightmike 1y agoOr we could put 3,100 people on house arrest and the major emissions will stop.
- JumpCrisscross 1y agoThis is the sweet summer child thinking that lead to protests in Canada and France. The people whose livelihoods are tied up in these industries will not go quietly. Even if their oligarchs are defanged.
- naIak 1y agoIs this the usual "we must stop the big corporations" argument, pretending that those who work at them and those who depend on their products will not complain? Or maybe you are thinking concentration camps and mass graves.
- anonym29 1y agoAnd now we wait for the headlines about the unprecedented, record-breaking floods and the harm those bring, too, before global media bends over backwards to label anyone noticing the obvious causal relationship to be a wacky tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorist.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- y-c-o-m-b 1y agoWhy are we using "arabnews.com" as a source? It's owned by the Saudi government isn't it? This topic is hitting the front-page of more reputable news sources. BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4172yl0l1o https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4172yl0l1o Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/pictures/iranians-pray-rain-drought-crisis-worsens-2025-11-14/ https://www.reuters.com/pictures/iranians-pray-rain-drought-... EDIT: yeah, let's not use arabnews as a news source please: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_News https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_News
- jprd 1y agoBBC == OK Arab News == Not OK What is your opinion on Al Jazeera then?
- tgma 1y agoBBC is UK propaganda and fine; Arabnews is Saudi propaganda and not fine. Who are you to judge?
- captain_coffee 1y agoBBC, literally one of the most reliable news sources in the world is according to you "UK propaganda". Feel free to expand on this
- tgma 1y agoThe GP felt it is okay to disparage Arab News solely because they are funded by the Saudis, which evidently they don't like. By the same standards, the BBC is literally funded by another state, the UK. Both are state funded media, thus propaganda almost by definition. Remember, propaganda does not have to be false or unreliable. (Although, ironically, BBC right now is in trouble for deceptive portrayal of Trump.) Hacker News guidelines[1] recommend posting the original source, not BBC over Arab News. [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html "Please submit the original source. If a post reports on something found on another site, submit the latter."
- vxvrs 1y agoUAE does this too, but with the UAE I always find it funny how their infrastructure is not build at all to handle rain well. Periods of rain (most of the time) go hand in hand with traffic and road problems, or even flooding. I can see why they need the water, but the effect on their city infrastructure build for heat is also not nothing.
- yubblegum 1y agoGrok apparently has a sense of humor: "it's part of broader water management strategies including prayers and conservation".
- penguin_booze 1y agoSo, the prayers went unanswered? Outrageous!