Hobbies And Interests
Origins of Cloud Seeding
The idea of cloud seeding sprang to life in 1946 at the General Electric labs, located in Schenectady, New York. There, Dr. Vincent J. Schaefer was investigating cloud formation in a chilled chamber. During one experiment, he cooled the chamber by inserting dry ice. The result was the formation of a water cloud inside the chamber. He determined that as the dry ice melted, it released particles into the air upon which tiny water droplets could coalesce.
Growth of Cloud Seeding
Following additional studies stemming from Schaefer's work, actual cloud seeding soon began. Over the next four decades, cloud-seeding projects were conducted in over 50 countries. Many organizations, such as the Weather Modification Association, the American Meteorological Society and the World Meteorological Organization, issued capability statements based upon the results of these projects. The reports indicated that cloud seeding held enormous potential for increasing rainfall amounts.
Australia's CSIRO
Beginning in 1947, Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization conducted cloud seeding experiments over Australia. These projects originally used crushed dry ice that was released into clouds by Royal Australian Air Force aircraft. Eventually, cloud-seeding programs transitioned to silver iodide (which is the preferred method today). Although these projects lasted into the 1990s, the organization never found conclusive scientific evidence to support the theory that rainfall amounts could be significantly increased by seeding.
Cloud Seeding Over Tasmania
Cloud seeding experiments were conducted over Tasmania from 1964 through 1994. Analysis of the results indicated significant increases in rainfall amounts. The results, however, failed to rise to the level of convincing scientific proof in the view of the wider scientific community.
Project Storm Fury
From 1962 to 1983, the Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted an experimental program focused on hurricane modification through seeding. The project sought to artificially stimulate convection outside the eye of a hurricane. The theory was that this would cause the radius of the eye to expand, reducing wind speeds. Attempts were made to seed four hurricanes, but the ultimate results were inconclusive.
Current and Future Cloud Seeding
Federally funded U.S. cloud seeding research ended in the early 1990s due to a lack of conclusive results. In 2003, a National Academy of Sciences report indicated existing evidence was insufficient to prove that seeding worked. Despite these setbacks, many U.S. states still view seeding as an important piece of their water resources puzzle. Hoping to avoid future water shortages, Wyoming began an 8.8-million-dollar, five-year cloud seeding project in 2005 and, as of the same year, at least 10 other states were conducting similar projects. Since the 1980s, many major ski areas, including Vail, have used seeding in an attempt to increase their snowfall and continue to do so.