The key facts

  • Indonesia is testing smog dispersal with dry ice without using clouds
  • Visibility at Palembang airport rose from 650 to 2,800 meters
  • Tests will continue until Sunday, after which a decision on expanding to other provinces will be made

A new method of fighting smog

Indonesia has begun testing a technology for dispersing toxic smog from forest and peat fires using dry ice. The National Disaster Management Agency announced on Thursday that the method uses atmospheric modification techniques and makes it possible to disperse smoke without the need for rain clouds, the state agency Antara reported.

Difference from cloud seeding

According to Berton S. P. Panjaitan, acting head of the agency's data, information and communications center, the method acts directly on dense smoke, unlike traditional cloud seeding, in which salt particles are used to stimulate precipitation. He explained that forest fires create atmospheric inversion layers that trap dangerous smoke near the ground.

Details of the operation

Response teams spray dry ice granules 3 mm in diameter at a temperature of minus 75 °C (minus 103 °F) to break up these layers and help disperse the smoke. On Thursday, a Cessna Caravan aircraft made two flights at an altitude of 4,500 feet, spraying 1,600 kg (3,527 pounds) of dry ice over Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport in Palembang.

Results and plans

According to the agency, after the operation visibility rose from 650 meters (2,133 feet) to 2,800 meters (9,186 feet). The tests will continue until Sunday, after which the authorities will assess the possibility of extending the method to other affected provinces.