Evaluation of MODIS capability for cloud seeding in Peninsular Malaysia / Siti Nur Elissa Saree @ Said

Cloud seeding is a known of weather modification technique to enhance rain due to drought, haze, or air pollution. Seeding process is simple process of dispersing salt or seeding agent into cloud to trigger the precipitation at the cloud atmosphere. Recent study has indicated that by using satellite remote sensing MODIS is compatible to study for cloud types classification in order to identify and finding the suitable clouds for seeding. This study has two main objective that is, (i) to produce cloud types classification of MODIS using Brightness Temperature, and (ii) to analysis the distribution of cloud types classification before and during seeding time in peninsular Malaysia. Study area for this study cover for peninsular Malaysia. MODIS level 1B calibrated radiances from 2019 is used to in this study. MODIS data used in this study has three (3) different selected dates which are 25 February 2019, 16 September 2019 and 28 September 2019. These selected dates choose based on during cloud seeding operation time in 2019. All these data are free download using NASA earthdata website. Brightness Temperature (BT) is retrieved from MODIS data channel 31 (11.03 μm) to classify cloud types into their classes based on BT value range. Finding from this research have shown cloud types classification can be classed into six (6) from low-cloud level until high cloud level. However, using BT method, it is able to detect and identify the suitable cloud for seeding which are Cumulus (Cu) and Cumulonimbus (Cb) with the BT value range from 278K – 288K. By using the cloud classes, spatial distribution for cloud types classification map is produce to show the apparition of suitable cloud for seeding purposes.