Scientists in China have experimented with cloud seeding to produce artificial snowfall over the Muz Taw Glacier, with an early trial suggesting that the additional snow may have reduced ice loss by 14% to 17%.
The experiment was conducted in August 2018 on the 3.2 kilometre long Muz Taw Glacier in the Sawir Mountains of Xinjiang, near the China Kazakhstan border. The glacier has been retreating continuously since 1959, with its decline accelerating in recent years.
Researchers used 14 remotely controlled, solar powered generators to release silver iodide into suitable clouds. Silver iodide can act as an ice forming nucleus, helping water vapour in clouds develop into ice particles that can eventually fall as snow.
A weather radar at the Jimunai Meteorological Station was used to identify suitable clouds and track their movement. The researchers then activated the generators when atmospheric conditions were favourable. The process did not add water to the atmosphere; instead, it was intended to encourage existing moisture in clouds to form precipitation.
The fresh snow increased the glacier’s surface albedo the amount of sunlight reflected by the surface. Because bright snow reflects more solar radiation than darker exposed ice, it can reduce the amount of energy absorbed by the glacier and slow melting.
Researchers compared glacier conditions before and after the artificial snowfall. Between August 12 and 18, the glacier recorded an estimated mass balance of minus 61.4 millimetres of water equivalent. During the following six day period from August 18 to 24, the figure improved to minus 37.2 millimetres.
Measurements from stakes across the glacier indicated that artificial snowfall reduced mass loss by approximately 14% to 17% compared with the earlier period, after accounting for possible natural precipitation.
The researchers also estimated that the artificial snowfall may have buffered between 42% and 54% of the melting recorded during the second observation period.
However, the findings remain preliminary. The study acknowledged that some of the snowfall could have occurred naturally, with natural precipitation potentially accounting for up to 21% of the snow received during the experiment.
Scientists also stressed that cloud seeding cannot work under all conditions. It requires suitable clouds and atmospheric moisture, meaning the technique cannot simply be deployed during dry, cloudless weather.
Longer and more controlled experiments are needed to determine how much precipitation can actually be generated through cloud seeding, how long the resulting snow cover remains, and whether the approach can meaningfully protect glaciers over longer periods.
The experiment highlights one possible short term adaptation strategy for rapidly melting glaciers, but it does not address the underlying cause of long term glacier retreat. Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions remains essential to slowing the broader loss of mountain ice.