Question map
The technique of inducing rain from cloud is called
Explanation
The technique of inducing rain from clouds is known as cloud seeding. It is a weather modification method that involves dispersing substances like silver iodide, potassium iodide, or dry ice into clouds to serve as ice nuclei or condensation nuclei. This process encourages the condensation of water vapor or the freezing of supercooled droplets, eventually leading to precipitation. While natural clouds form through the condensation of water vapor in free air [4], cloud seeding accelerates this process artificially. Other options like cloud computing refer to internet-based data storage, while cloud engineering and cloud control are not standard terms for rainmaking. The formation of rain-bearing clouds like nimbostratus or cumulonimbus typically involves adiabatic cooling and latent heat release [3], but when natural conditions are insufficient, cloud seeding is employed to stimulate rainfall for agricultural or water management purposes.
Sources
- [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 24: Hydrological Cycle (Water Cycle) > Clouds > p. 333
- [4] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 10: Water in the Atmosphere > Clouds > p. 87
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 24: Hydrological Cycle (Water Cycle) > Types of Clouds > p. 335
- [3] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 25: Thunderstorm > Stage 2: Mature stage > p. 343