Montana’s Big Hole River could benefit from more rainwater. Photo: Flickr use Traveling Otter, used via CC BY-SA 2.0
“Cloud seeding” has been in the news most recently because of conspiracy theories about the devastating Texas floods last month, but in an article on MeatEater, Eli Fournier discusses how scientists are trying to work out a more beneficial (and realistic) use of the technology:
Every summer, trout streams in the West face hot, low water conditions, making for tough fishing—and sometimes lethal conditions for trout. In Montana, famed trout streams like the Big Hole and Beaverhead are plagued with fishing restrictions and sometimes full-on closures in July and August. But what if there was a way to nip the problem in the bud and increase the overall water supply to begin with?
Researchers are exploring exactly that with a method called “cloud seeding.” The practice involves injecting a chemical compound, silver iodide, into the atmosphere during winter months, where it encourages the formation of ice crystals in clouds and subsequently increases snowfall. A deeper snowpack can then extend runoff later into the summer, keeping trout streams cooler and more productive.
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