In addition to using weather modification technology, Indonesia is familiar with the tradition of rain handlers to control the weather. In action at the Mandalika MotoGP arena, the rain handler has gone viral to foreign countries.
When it comes to rain charmers, most of this stuff is unscientific. However, rain handlers are part of the uniqueness of Indonesian culture and are now becoming the world's attention.
In various countries, there are many ways to control the weather. This effort is carried out to prevent drought, prevent flooding, increase food production, and clean the atmosphere from pollution. Gathered by us from various sources, Monday (21/3/2022) here are various weather control technologies:
Cloud seeding
Weather modification technology with cloud seeding is also used at the Mandalika MotoGP. Quoted from the BPPT website (now the BRIN Science Center), the purpose of weather modification is generally to increase the intensity of rainfall in a place (rain enhancement) or it can also be used for the opposite condition (rain reduction).
This method uses an aircraft that delivers seedling material in the form of NaCl to the cloud through the air. In addition, the method of delivering seedling material into the cloud from the ground can also use the Ground Based Generator (GBG) vehicle and the Flare Tree vehicle for static systems.
TMC-BRIN Management Laboratory Coordinator Budi Harsoyo responded to the viral rain handler in Mandalika by mentioning the application of scientific technology to prevent rain in the MotoGP area.
He considered it necessary to explain the scientific principles of weather modification technology, which from March 18 to March 20, 2022 also operates in Mandalika because the BMKG has predicted that during that period Mandalika has the potential to be flooded with extreme weather.
Budi said that weather modification technology was deployed to prevent clouds indicated by radar from moving towards the Mandalika Circuit, to be immediately dropped outside the circuit area.
"We raced with rain clouds that were moving closer to Mandalika. Before they approached, we intercepted. We dropped the rain outside Mandalika. New clouds grew, we immediately flew and dropped them again, and so on," said Budi in a written statement.
The toughest challenge is grappling with wind gusts that change direction. During the previous 2 days, the wind was moving from the southeast to the south, but today it changed from the north to shift just south of the island of Lombok.
To note, modifying the weather with cloud seeding has been used in various countries, including the United States, China, India, and Russia.
Ionizer
The United Emirates is known for its aridity and low rainfall. They then built a giant ionizer mounted on steel poles developed by Swiss company Metro Systems International.
This device generates a large ionic field, in which positive ions return to Earth, while negative ions rise to the atmosphere. As it rises, negative ions collect dust particles. These dots act as seeds for ice formation like silver iodide, but do not require clouds. As long as there is still around 30% humidity, this method can still be done, even if the sky is clear.
Hail cannon
French farmers and winemakers have long used hail cannons. This was done to try to save the grapes from storm damage. Every few seconds, the cannon blast in the dungeon would send a loud boom towards the sky.
The basis of this method is, the resulting shock wave will break up the ice before it reaches the ground. Unfortunately there is little evidence that this hail cannon actually works and is effective.
Clean the air
When the clean air law came into effect in Atlanta in 1970, no one could have predicted its immediate effect on the environment. Turns out, the impact was extraordinary. In the first five years after the bill's enactment, emissions of tiny particles under 10 micrometers decreased by 40% across Atlanta. Over the next two decades, Atlanta's average rainfall jumped to 10% and has remained steady.
As it turned out, the main cause was air pollution caused by Atlanta's factories in the 50's and 60's making clouds less efficient. The tiny particle size of pollution is great for forming clouds, but terrible for producing precipitation.