Weather Modification in Australia
- Snowy Hydro Limited CEO: Dennis Barnes Details: Dennis Barnes became Managing Director and CEO on February 1, 2023, with over 30 years of experience in the energy sector, previously leading Contact Energy in New Zealand. Owner: Australian Government
Method: Snowy Hydro uses ground-based aerosol generators to release silver iodide (AgI) into the atmosphere. Unlike aircraft-based seeding common elsewhere, their approach relies on stationary units positioned in the Snowy Mountains. These generators burn a solution containing silver iodide, producing a fine aerosol that rises into clouds via natural updrafts. Silver iodide acts as an ice-nucleating agent. Its crystal structure mimics ice, encouraging supercooled water droplets (liquid water below 0°C) in clouds to freeze into ice crystals. These crystals grow by attracting more water vapor, eventually falling as snow when heavy enough—a process tied to the Bergeron-Findeisen effect.
- Australian Rain Technologies (ART) CEO: Not publicly specified Details: As a private company, ART does not publicly disclose its current CEO. Leadership information is scarce, and no specific name is tied to the role in recent records. Owners: Matt and Clare Handbury
(note: Matt Handbury is a prominent Australian businessman, nephew of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and executive chairman of Murdoch Media, which he founded after selling his stake in Murdoch Magazines (including Marie Claire Australia) decades ago. ART secured a $10 million federal grant in 2007 under Malcolm Turnbull to trial ionization in southeast Queensland)
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Method: ART employs ground-based devices that emit ions—electrically charged particles—into the atmosphere. These ions are generated by high-voltage systems and released via a network of towers or units placed strategically in target areas.
- Hydro Tasmania CEO: Ian Brooksbank (stepping down October 3, 2025; Rachel Watson appointed as successor)** Details: Ian Brooksbank has been CEO since March 2022 but will step down in October 2025. Rachel Watson has been announced as the incoming CEO, though her official start date aligns with Brooksbank’s departure. Brooksbank has guided the company through its renewable energy and cloud seeding efforts. Owner: Tasmanian Government
Method: Hydro Tasmania uses aircraft to release silver iodide (a chemical compound with a crystal structure similar to ice) into clouds. This is a form of glaciogenic seeding, which encourages the formation of ice crystals in supercooled water droplets within clouds. These crystals then grow and fall as precipitation—either rain or snow, depending on temperature. Delivery: Small planes, typically equipped with wing-mounted flares or burners, disperse the silver iodide into suitable cloud formations. The aircraft target specific catchments, like those feeding into dams such as Great Lake or Lake Echo, key to Tasmania’s hydropower system.
- CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) CEO: Doug Hilton Details: Doug Hilton took over as Chief Executive in 2023, succeeding Larry Marshall. A molecular biologist, he oversees CSIRO’s extensive research portfolio, including historical weather modification work. Owner: Australian Government
Method: CSIRO primarily used cloud seeding to enhance rainfall, employing both silver iodide (AgI) and dry ice (solid carbon dioxide, CO₂) as seeding agents. Silver Iodide: Released as a fine aerosol, silver iodide acts as an ice-nucleating agent in supercooled clouds (below 0°C but still liquid). Its ice-like crystal structure triggers water droplets to freeze into ice crystals, which grow and fall as precipitation (rain or snow). Dry Ice: Dropped into clouds, dry ice rapidly cools the surrounding air (to -78°C), causing spontaneous freezing of supercooled droplets into ice crystals without needing a nucleating particle. This was used early on for its dramatic effect on cloud dynamics.
For the Queensland Government’s 2008 cloud seeding project, it was a state-led initiative rather than a company, so there’s no CEO or private owner to list—funding and oversight came from the Queensland Government, with operational support from research partners.
Silver iodide Toxicity
Silver iodide has low solubility in water (about 3 × 10⁻⁸ g/L), meaning it doesn’t dissolve or absorb easily into the body if ingested or inhaled in small amounts. Prolonged exposure to silver compounds can cause argyria—a rare condition where skin turns blue-gray due to silver buildup.
Dry Ice Toxicity
Dry ice is pure carbon dioxide (CO₂) frozen into a solid state at -78.5°C (-109.3°F). It’s made by compressing and cooling gaseous CO₂, a naturally occurring compound in the atmosphere (about 0.0407% of air). O₂ is a normal part of respiration (we exhale it), and dry ice sublimates into CO₂ gas, which disperses quickly outdoors.
Atlant Ionization Technology Concerns
ART’s ground-based ionization method, using high-voltage towers to emit ions, carries potential safety concerns around electrical hazards, EMF exposure, atmospheric effects, lightning, public access, and fire risks.
Australian Rain Technologies’ Atlant Ionization Technology, which uses high-voltage towers to emit ions for rainfall enhancement, could pose dangers to bee and bat populations. For bees, the technology’s ion emissions might disrupt natural electric fields they use for navigation and foraging, potentially confusing them and reducing their efficiency or hive returns. It could also subtly stress hives by altering air quality or microclimates, especially when combined with other environmental pressures. Additionally, bees might be drawn to the towers’ fields, mistaking them for flowers, leading to disorientation or energy loss. For bats, the strong ion emissions near roosts or flight paths could interfere with their navigation, particularly for species sensitive to electric fields, though evidence is limited. Towers placed near bat habitats might alter local air charge, affecting prey distribution or deterring bats from roosting areas.
Comparable ionization systems (e.g., WeatherTec or Ionogenics) suggest operational voltages of 10-100 kilovolts (kV). For a small emitter (assume a 1-meter radius), the electric field near the tip could reach 10,000–100,000 V/m to initiate ionization, akin to lab corona discharge thresholds (around 30 kV/cm or 3,000,000 V/m for air at STP, but practical systems use lower gradients over larger gaps).
Near-Field (0-5 meters): Likely 1,000–10,000 V/m, dropping sharply as ions disperse and the field spreads.
Far-Field (50-100 meters): Possibly 10–100 V/m, comparable to fields under low-voltage power lines (e.g., 11 kV lines produce ~50 V/m at 30 meters). Beyond this, levels approach natural background (100-150 V/m in fair weather).
Australian Rain Technologies (ART) Owners: Matt and Clare Handbury
Snowy Hydro Limited CEO: Dennis Barnes
Sources:
Services — Australian Rain Technology
Australian Rain Technologies website (australianrain.com.au, 2025 archives)
Journal of the Royal Statistical Society (Series C, 2022), University of Wollongong (uniwollongong.edu.au)
ABC News, “$10m granted to explore rainmaking tech” (July 24, 2007,abc.net.au)
The Sydney Morning Herald (August 1, 2007,smh.com.au)
Snowy Hydro website (snowyhydro.com.au), “Cloud Seeding” section, 2024)
Snowy Mountains Cloud Seeding Act 2004 (legislation.nsw.gov.au)
Hydro Tasmania sustainability reports (hydrotas.com.au, 2023-24)
CSIRO, Australian Meteorological Magazine (1970,bom.gov.au)
Hydro Tasmania press release (October 2024,hydrotas.com.au)
“Rainmaking Experiments in Australia,” E.G. Bowen, Weather (1952, Wiley)
CSIROpedia entry (csiropedia.csiro.au, 2025)
CSIRO website (csiro.au, 2025)
Queensland Government media release (February 27, 2008,statements.qld.gov.au)
Minister Meaghan Scanlon statement (2023,qnews.com.au)
Southern Cross University updates (scu.edu.au, 2025)
New Scientist (January 2025,newscientist.com)
Stanwell website (stanwell.com.au, 2025)
ARENA funding announcement (February 2024,arena.gov.au)
pv magazine Australia (February 2025,pv-magazine-australia.com)