CHEYENNE, WYOMING — U.S. cloud seeding explainer. <br /> <br /> <br />Western U.S. states in the midst of a two decade-long drought that is the worst in 1,200 years are turning to cloud seeding to increase the water supply, according to CNN, with Wyoming a recent adopter of the method. <br /> <br /> <br />The process involves inserting silver iodide crystals, which have a shape similar to ice crystals, into clouds so supercooled water droplets accumulate around them and gain enough mass to form snowflakes. <br /> <br /> <br />Proponents say studies prove more snow is created than otherwise would have fallen and that at $28 to $34 per acre foot it represents one effective countermeasure against droughts. <br /> <br /> <br />However, seeding cannot be done without clouds that are going to produce a certain amount of snow anyway, and some are concerned it is effectively stealing snow from other areas rather than making more. <br /> <br /> <br />UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain told CNN: “It may be, at least on a regional basis, a zero-sum game where if water falls out of the cloud in one spot, it’s even drier by the time it makes it downwind.” <br /> <br />
