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Indian scientists plan to seed clouds for the first time to trigger heavy rain in some areas of New Delhi, hoping this will be enough to tackle the smog gripping the world’s most polluted capital for a week, the project’s head said on Thursday.

Air quality dips in Delhi ahead of winter every year, when cold air traps pollutants from a variety of sources including vehicles, industries, construction dust, and agricultural waste burning. 

Scientists expect some cloud cover over the city around November 20 and are hoping this will be large enough — and with high enough moisture content — to trigger heavy rain via seeding with salts, said Manindra Agrawal, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, who is leading the trial.

The project, estimated to cost Rs. 1 crore for 100 square kilometres, would involve spraying into clouds a mix of salts that include silver iodine, Agrawal said.

“We don’t expect that big a cloud that will cover entire Delhi, but a few hundred kilometres would be good,” he told Reuters. 

The local government of the city of 20 million people, spread over roughly 1,500 square kilometres, has already shut all schools, stopped construction activities, and said it will impose restrictions on vehicle use to control pollution.

The air quality index in the city was 506 early on Thursday, which is categorised as “hazardous” by Swiss group IQAir.

Delhi needs heavy and widespread rain to wash away the pollutants, and light rain could worsen the situation, said Gufran Beig, the founder director of the federal government’s air-quality monitoring agency SAFAR.

Beig added that current airflow is carrying smoke from crop residue burning in the states of Punjab and Haryana to Delhi, which also has its own pollution sources and where there is currently almost no wind. 

“So unless a huge pressure is established by intense rain, this chain of transport from Punjab to Delhi will not be broken, and once it is broken it is difficult for the chain to form again for some time,” he told Reuters. 

About 38 percent of the pollution in the capital has been caused by stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, where over 22,000 stubble burning events were recorded between September 15 and November 7, according to a government statement.

Stubble burning is a practice followed by farmers wherein crop stubble left behind after rice is harvested is burnt to quickly clear fields before planting wheat crops. 

The federal government has directed authorities in both states to “take effective actions” to check further stubble burning, the statement added. 

The Delhi government is seeking to get approval for the project from the Supreme Court, which is hearing petitions related to pollution.

Several countries have used cloud seeding to produce rain, improve air quality and water crops in time of drought, including Mexico, the United States, China, Indonesia and Malaysia. 

However, in 2021, a plan to seed clouds over the mountains of New Mexico to increase snowfall was pulled after allegations it could poison people and the environment.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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2,300-Year-Old Celtic Helmet Found in Poland’s Łysa Góra Site!

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September 16, 2024

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2,300-Year-Old Celtic Helmet Found in Poland’s Łysa Góra Site!

Archaeologists in Poland have unearthed a remarkable find: a 2,300-year-old bronze helmet, along with other artifacts, marking the first evidence of Celtic settlement in northern Poland. This discovery, led by Bartłomiej Kaczyński from the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw, indicates that Celts were present in the region to secure their amber supplies. Previously, Celts were known to have colonised southern Poland around 400 B.C., but evidence of their presence in the north was scarce until now.

Details of the Helmet

The helmet, crafted from thin bronze and styled in the Celtic “Berru” fashion, features a conical top and a distinctive nape, reflecting its association with Celtic elites, the State Archaeological Museum announced in a Facebook post. It was found at the Łysa Góra archaeological site near Chorzele, about 105 kilometres north of Warsaw. The discovery is significant as it represents the most northeastern site in Europe where Celts have been documented.

Other Artifacts Unearthed

In addition to the helmet, the excavation revealed over 300 ancient artifacts, including four iron axes and an iron sword, archaeologist Bartłomiej Kaczyński . These items suggest that the Celts may have introduced iron metallurgy to the area. The team also uncovered Celtic ornaments, brooches, and several tools not previously known in Poland, such as iron chisels, scythes, and scissors. This challenges the earlier belief that Celtic interactions in northern Poland were minimal.

Importance of the Site

The findings indicate that the Łysa Góra site was a crucial trading post on the “amber trail” leading from the Baltic Sea coast. Amber, highly prized in the Mediterranean world, was a key commodity for the Celts. The site’s location suggests it played a significant role in protecting and trading amber between different regions.

Overall, these discoveries shed light on the extent of Celtic influence and their strategic importance in ancient trade networks.

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Strange Signal From Greenland Landslide Reveals Climate Change Effects

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September 16, 2024

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Strange Signal From Greenland Landslide Reveals Climate Change Effects

In September 2023, scientists monitoring seismic activities worldwide detected an unusual signal. This signal, distinct from the typical earthquake rumble, resonated as a continuous hum, maintaining a singular frequency. For nine consecutive days, this hum echoed across the globe, spanning from the Arctic to Antarctica, leaving researchers baffled. Initially classified as a “USO” — an unidentified seismic object — the source of the signal was eventually identified. A colossal landslide in Greenland‘s Dickson Fjord was responsible for the mysterious hum. The event involved a massive amount of rock and ice, enough to fill approximately 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, plummeting into the fjord. This caused a mega-tsunami, with waves towering up to 200 metres, double the height of London’s iconic Big Ben.

The Landslide’s Source

The landslide was directly linked to the ongoing effects of climate change. Due to the thinning of a nearby glacier, the fjord’s stability had been compromised. The glacier had lost tens of metres in thickness over decades, leading to a weakened structure. When the mountain finally gave way, the sheer force of the collapse generated seismic waves that reverberated around the planet.

Implications of the Event

In their study published in Science, the research team noted that the signal was created by standing waves within the fjord caused by the rockslide. These findings underscore the cascading and hazardous feedback loops between the Earth’s ice, water, and land systems as the climate continues to warm.

As global temperatures rise, landslides, tsunamis, and similar events in polar regions could become more frequent.

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Supercooling of Earth’s Inner Core May Finally Reveal its True Age

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September 16, 2024

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Supercooling of Earth's Inner Core May Finally Reveal its True Age

Earth‘s inner core, made of solid iron and nickel, lies over 5,100 kilometres below the surface. Despite its crucial role in shaping Earth’s conditions and generating its magnetic field, the core’s age has remained a mystery. Thanks to advancements in mineral physics, scientists are now closer to understanding how and when the core formed. The solid core is vital for maintaining Earth’s magnetic field, which shields us from harmful solar radiation, making the planet habitable for billions of years.

Inner Core’s Formation and Freezing Process

The inner core, which was once molten, solidifies as the Earth cools down. This cooling process causes the iron-rich liquid surrounding the core to freeze, expanding the inner core outwards, although the temperature at the core remains scorching, at over 5,000K (around 4,726°C). The freezing of iron releases lighter elements like oxygen and carbon, creating a buoyant liquid that rises into the outer core, producing electric currents. These currents drive the Earth’s magnetic field, which is responsible for phenomena like the northern lights.

Supercooling and the Core’s Age

Geophysicists use thermal models to study Earth’s magnetic history. These models have revealed that supercooling, where a liquid cools below its freezing point without solidifying, could explain the core’s formation. Recent studies suggest that iron at the core may need to be supercooled by up to 1,000K before freezing. However, this level of cooling implies that the core might be much younger, between 500 and 1,000 million years than previously thought. Current evidence suggests the core may have experienced less than 400K of supercooling.

The age of Earth’s inner core remains a topic of intense study, with scientists exploring the possibility that the core could be younger than estimated due to this supercooling phenomenon. Understanding this could reshape our knowledge of Earth’s magnetic history.

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