Does cloud seeding with drones increase rainfall?

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1. 1

   Application of Drones in Pollution Mitigation through Artificial Rainfall

   International Journal of Advance Research and Innovation (Divyanshu et al.)Published Mar 31, 2025Checked Oct 7, 2026

   “Air pollution is a critical global challenge, with urban areas experiencing hazardous levels of particulate matter and harmful gases. Artificial rainfall via cloud seeding offers a potential solution by inducing precipitation to cleanse the atmosphere. Traditional methods rely on manned aircraft to disperse agents like silver iodide or sodium chloride into clouds, stimulating rain. While effective, this approach is costly, labor-intensive, and lacks precision, making it impractical for frequent or small-scale operations, especially in budget-constrained regions. Drones present a transformative alternative for cloud seeding. Compared to aircraft, drones are cost-effective, scalable, and highly adaptable. Coordinated drone swarms can target specific urban areas, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of agent dispersion. Their autonomous capabilities reduce the need for extensive personnel or infrastructure. By leveraging drone technology, artificial rainfall becomes a more practical, flexible, and environmentally friendly method to address air pollution”

2. 2

   Cloud Seeding: The Future of Weather Modification Technology

   International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management (Khan & Kulsum)Published Aug 17, 2026Checked Oct 7, 2026

   “We examine the basic principles and methodologies of cloud seeding, including glaciogenic and hygroscopic techniques, and highlight current advancements such as enhanced atmospheric modeling, drone-based delivery systems, and novel seeding materials. This report examines the results of significant field experiments and operational initiatives globally, highlighting both good outcomes and ongoing challenges in effectiveness evaluation. The matter of governance and ethics is addressed, necessitating robust scientific evaluation, environmental safety monitoring, transparency among stakeholders, and international cooperation in weather modification efforts. We conclude that while cloud seeding is not a comprehensive solution for drought management, it serves as a valuable additional strategy for water resource management in a changing climate. Subsequent research and technological progress, together with judicious regulatory frameworks that address ethical considerations and environmental consequences, will be pivotal in realizing the complete potential of cloud seeding as a future weather manipulation technology.”

3. 3

   The modus operandi of Cloud Seeding for Rain Enhancement: An Overview for Non-Scientific Audiences

   International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) (Fernando)Published Apr 13, 2026Checked Oct 7, 2026

   “Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that requires mastery of a myriad of disciplines, including cloud physics, cloud studies, meteorology, atmospheric physics, and chemistry. The process of cloud seeding, as described in current literature, is complex in both its practice and terminology. It is often difficult for lay audiences, such as the public, policymakers, the media, and local stakeholders, to understand cloud seeding methods, and there is no single comprehensive work that explains them. Additionally, the governance of cloud seeding involves legal, economic, and political considerations that cross disciplines. It is important to explain its techniques in simple language to raise public awareness and support policymaking, and to involve legal, economic, and political experts outside the sciences. Therefore, the knowledge deficit model, using a qualitative approach, is used in this article to explain how cloud seeding works to larger non-scientific audiences.”

4. 4

   Progressive and Prospective Technology for Cloud Seeding Experiment by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Atmospheric Research Aircraft in Korea

   Advances in Meteorology (Jung et al.)Published Jun 22, 2022Checked Oct 7, 2026

   “This study applies a novel cloud seeding method using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a research aircraft in Korea. For this experiment, the UAV sprayed a cloud seeding material (calcium chloride), and the aircraft monitored the clouds in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula on April 25, 2019. Cloud observation equipment in the aircraft indicated an increase in the number concentration and average particle size of large cloud particles after the seeding. Weather radar reflectivity increased by approximately 10 dBZ above the experimental area due to the development of clouds and precipitation systems. Rain was observed after seeding, and 0.5 mm was recorded, including natural and mixed precipitation from the cloud seeding. In addition, it showed that the rapid increase in the number of raindrops and vertical reflectivity was approximately 10 dBZ. Therefore, these results showed the possibility of cloud seeding using UAVs and atmospheric research aircraft. The effects of cloud seeding are indicated through the increased number concentration and size of cloud particles, radar reflectivity, and ground-based precipitation detection.”

5. 5

   Impacts of artificial cloud seeding on surface PM2.5 and PM10 scavenging in the Yangtze River Delta.

   Journal of environmental sciences (China) (Sun et al.)Published Jan 20, 2026Checked Oct 7, 2026

   “In an aircraft seeding experiment in Suqian during the 2023 Shanghai Expo, AgI-induced ice nucleation triggered deposition growth of ice crystals, releasing latent heat that strengthened local updrafts and promoted subsequent riming and melting. Post-seeding observations (3-hour period) observed precipitation rates of 0.1-0.3 mm/h with PM10 and PM2.5 reductions of 25 %-29 % and 10 %-16 %, respectively, despite low wind speed indicating seeding-influenced precipitation improved PM scavenging. Model simulations combined with observational scavenging rates showed the domain-wide impacts over an area of ∼9000 km2 area and an enhanced rainfall of 90,000 tons. However, PM reductions were modest ( 0.5 Pa/s) showed higher scavenging efficiencies with PM reductions of 1 % over 900 km2, 4 %-5 % over 100 km2, and > 10 % in localized areas (40 km2). These results highlight that targeted cloud seeding can improve the surface rainfall and PM wet deposition, with the effectiveness of the process driven by microphysical-dynamical feedbacks.”