Context: India is establishing a first-of-its-kind cloud chamber at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) under Mission Mausam.

About Mission Mausam

• Mission Mausam is led by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and aims to enhance India’s capabilities in weather and climate science, research, and services.

• The mission’s focus will include improving observations and understanding for providing highly accurate and timely weather and climate information across temporal and spatial scales, including monsoon forecasts, alerts for air quality, extreme weather events and cyclones, weather interventions for managing fog, hail, and rain, etc., capacity building and generating awareness.

Background

• India has previously conducted experiments on cloud seeding through the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX), which showed that, under the right conditions, cloud seeding could enhance rainfall by up to 46%.

• However, it is acknowledged that cloud seeding alone cannot solve all rainfall issues.

What is a Cloud Chamber?

• A cloud chamber is a closed environment where water vapor and aerosols are injected under controlled humidity and temperature, allowing clouds to form.

• It will be Located at  Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.

• It is First-of-its-kind in India, focusing on convective properties to study Indian monsoon clouds.

Significance

• India’s cloud chamber will focus on understanding cloud physics specific to Indian weather systems, particularly monsoon clouds. 

• This facility is unique as it will have convection properties, which are rare globally, allowing for detailed studies of cloud behavior under various conditions.

• It will enable scientists to study the particles that contribute to cloud formation and behavior.

Plans for Use

• Tailored Studies: Ability to adjust atmospheric parameters to simulate different environmental conditions.

• Instrumentation Development: Advanced tools will be created over the next 18-24 months to monitor cloud behavior.

• Seed Particle Injection: Techniques to test various scenarios affecting cloud formation.

Future Outlook

• Overall, the convective cloud chamber represents a significant step in advancing India’s capabilities in weather modification and research in cloud physics.