Indonesia has launched trials of a new atmospheric modification technique using dry ice to disperse hazardous smoke from forest and peatland fires, with early results showing a significant improvement in visibility near an airport in South Sumatra.
The country’s National Disaster Management Agency said the experimental method aims to break up dense smoke trapped near the ground without relying on rainfall, according to state news agency Antara.
Unlike conventional cloud seeding, which introduces salt particles into clouds to encourage precipitation, the new approach directly targets atmospheric conditions that prevent smoke from dispersing.
Berton S.P. Panjaitan, acting head of the agency’s data, information and communication centre, explained that forest fires can produce atmospheric inversion layers, trapping polluted air close to the surface and worsening haze conditions.
To disrupt these layers, response teams release three-millimetre dry ice granules at temperatures of approximately minus 75°C (minus 103°F), with the aim of allowing trapped smoke to spread and disperse.
On Thursday, a Cessna Caravan aircraft carried out two flights over Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport in Palembang, operating at an altitude of 4,500 feet.
During the flights, crews released a total of 1,600 kilograms (3,527 pounds) of dry ice into the atmosphere.
According to the disaster management agency, visibility around the airport subsequently increased from 650 metres to 2,800 metres, an improvement of more than fourfold.
Officials reported the change as an encouraging early result, although the trials are still underway and the effectiveness of the technique over larger areas has yet to be established.
Testing is scheduled to continue until Sunday, after which authorities will evaluate the results and consider whether to deploy the technology in other provinces affected by forest-fire haze.
The initiative forms part of Indonesia’s efforts to develop additional methods of managing smoke pollution during periods of severe forest and peatland fires.