Desperate to clear toxic haze, Indonesia to douse its skies with dry ice
Indonesian authorities are testing the use of dry ice to disperse toxic haze caused by severe wildfires exacerbated by El Niño. This experimental method aims to break down the smog in the lower atmosphere, complementing ongoing cloud seeding efforts.
Why it matters
As climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather and wildfires, innovative atmospheric interventions are becoming critical for public health.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Koh Ewe Watch: Orange haze blankets Indonesia's Kalimatan region As toxic smog continues to billow from wildfires in Indonesia's forests and peatlands, authorities are looking at an experimental way to disperse the haze.
On Thursday, aircraft were deployed to scatter pellets of dry ice - solid carbon dioxide - in the air above South Sumatra province, one of the regions worst hit by the haze.
Indonesia is battling its most dire wildfire season in a decade, as an unusually strong El Niño has exacerbated drought conditions and made flames harder to put out.
Amid increasingly urgent efforts to clear the hazardous air, authorities in Indonesia and neighbouring Malaysia have turned to various weather modification methods.
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