A Real-Time Remote-Sensing-Guided Decision-Support Framework for Cloud-Seeding Operations: A Field Demonstration Using Himawari-9 and C-band Phased Array Weather Radar

Abstract

This study proposes a real-time remote-sensing-guided decision-support framework for cloud-seeding operations using high frequency geostationary satellite and ground weather radar observations. The framework integrates cloud assessment, human-in-the-loop decision support, and aircraft operation to translate high-frequency remote-sensing information into actionable guidance for seeding aircraft. We demonstrate the framework using 2.5-min Himawari-9 geostationary satellite observations and 60-s C-band phased-array weather radar (C-PAWR) observations during the preliminary dry-ice cloud-seeding field campaign conducted over Toyama Bay, Japan, in January 2026. In the 13 January case, the framework enabled the ground team to identify a developing cumulus cloud with a lifetime of approximately 20 min, communicate guidance to the aircraft, and conduct seeding immediately before the cloud began to dissipate naturally. Candidate seedable clouds were identified from Himawari-9 infrared indices, and their selection was supported by near-real-time C-PAWR observations of precipitation echoes. Because the released dry-ice amount was limited to 30 kg, this study does not attempt to attribute subsequent cloud evolution to seeding effects. Instead, the results demonstrate that rapid-scan satellite and ground radar observations can support real-time target selection and aircraft guidance for responsible, operationally feasible weather-intervention field experiments.