Field Experimentation 



As discussed previously, the Federal agencies are currently engaged in 

 a variety of field programs. In almost every case the field programs are 

 restricted by limited resources of one kind or another to the point where 

 the programs are suboptimal and progress has been at a snail's pace. 

 One would hope that the primary objectives of Federal programs to 

 enhance rainfall, eliminate fog, and suppress hail and lightning would 

 be the transfer of this technology to the private sector where it could 

 produce an expansion of existing industries and create new ones. 



What is badly needed is a field experiment which brings to bear all 

 of the resources that can contribute to the success of the experiment. The 

 experimental area might be somewhere in the Great Plains and should 

 operate on a year-around basis. Experiments should be carried out with 

 summer cumulus, winter upslope stratus, and winter migratory storms. 

 The program should employ the latest in meteorological satellite and re- 

 mote-sensing technologies, well-instrumented aircraft, and an increased 

 density of surface, upper air, and radar observations of the National 

 Weather Service. The emphasis should be on providing the tools necessary 

 to fully measure and observe the physical and dynamic changes taking 

 place both naturally and under the influence of seeding. Maximum effort 

 should be made to determine results through direct observation of the 

 changes in the cloud. In addition, the experiment should be designed in 

 such a way as to provide optimum conditions for a statistical evaluation 

 (e.g., random crossover design). The technologies developed by NOAA 

 in Florida with dynamic seeding of tropical cumulus, by NOAA with 

 seeding of low stratiform clouds over the Great Lakes, and by Bureau of 

 Reclamation supported programs in the Dakotas and Texas provide the 

 initial groundwork for this effort. The field experiment should be con- 

 centrated in an area less than the size of a State. From this experiment 

 should come the basic knowledge which is needed for most phases of 

 weather modification. 



INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS AND REGULATION 



Weather modification today within the Federal Government is carried 

 out by seven agencies to meet their individual mission needs. The De- 

 partment of Transportation is concerned with the effect of fog on airport 

 operations, the Department of Agriculture is concerned with the reduc- 

 tion of lightning-caused forest fires, the Department of the Interior is 

 interested in increasing the water supplies in the West, and the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce is interested in abating hurricanes and other severe 

 storms and in reducing or increasing precipitation for a wide variety of 

 purposes. What is lacking is a central focus for the overall effort. Some 

 progress has been made in this direction with NOAA having been as- 

 signed responsibility for monitoring the weather modification activities 



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