FUTURE RESEARCH IN WEATHER MODIFICATION 385 
pronged attack on the problem of atmospheric 
research. He suggests a cloud-physics program 
and a planetary program. 
The cloud-physies program would be con- 
cerned largely with the problems discussed in 
this volume: dynamics of clouds, precipitation 
mechanisms, condensation nuclei, freezing nuclei, 
and other small-scale phenomena of the atmos- 
phere. This program would be a long-range one 
with stable financial support with complete free- 
dom of action and latitude to scientists in choos- 
ing areas of research. It would include experi- 
ments on any appropriate scale to msure orderly 
research. Such a program, Ackerman thinks, 
should be conducted by an agency of the gov- 
ernment separately from those agencies now 
having meteorological services and heavily com- 
mitted to day-to-day weather problems. An in- 
dependent research program, he thinks, would 
be conducive to essential depth, balance, and 
originality. 
The second program, the planetary one, sug- 
gested by Ackerman is a large-scale, long-range 
one which would be primarily concerned with 
global atmospheric circulation problems. It would 
be heavily weighted on the theoretical and ob- 
servational basis and would eventually require 
international scientific cooperation. Guidance for 
such a global program might well be placed un- 
der the United Nations with a planning and re- 
view board made up of eminent meteorologists, 
mathematicians, physicists, and other repre- 
sentatives of other disciplines to insure widest 
possible cooperation. Such a program would pro- 
vide an opportunity to show scientific leadership 
which might well play an important role im 
mitigating the problems in diplomacy. While 
such a program today might seem visionary, by 
tomorrow it might have revolutionary economic 
and military implications. 
Fiscal problems—lf we are ever to develop a 
multiphased atmospheric research program to 
get the answers to the thousands of questions 
now confronting us, we must present a bold, 
imaginative, and unified front that will com- 
mand strong public support. At the present time 
the entire research effort can be seriously jeop- 
ardized by the whims of one or two public offi- 
cials in prominent positions in government. In 
1957 many of us saw research funds reduced to 
a trickle by the adverse decision of economy- 
minded officials and only the historic launching 
of Sputnik in October saved this program from 
almost complete obliteration. 
Only two weeks ago two very important items 
were disallowed in the National Science Founda- 
tion fiscal 1960 budgetary requests, by the 
House Appropriations Committee. One item was 
for $500,000 for the initial phases of the estab- 
lishment of the Institute of Atmospheric Re- 
search; the other a request for two million dol- 
lars to carry on the research and evaluation of 
weather modification as directed by Congress in 
Public Law 510 [American Meteorological So- 
ciety, 1958.] Such actions on the part of unin- 
formed public officials account for the weak, un- 
coordinated, and halting atmospheric-research 
effort today. 
One can cite many more examples where sud- 
denly funds have been reduced or eliminated and 
have forced the release of good research teams. 
Tf and when funds are again granted, the chances 
of re-assembling a competent scientific team are 
very remote. Under these conditions, meteorol- 
ogy is not an attractive field for the young man 
interested im science. 
The foregoing problems are given as examples 
of difficulties which prevent the establishment 
of a strong stable research program in cloud 
physics. Without the necessary answers gained 
from this research, weather modification efforts 
must necessarily be limited. 
Research tools—Radar was found to be imval- 
uable in studying the effects of cloud seeding in 
Arizona [Battan and Kassander, 1959]. As a re- 
search tool radar has become indispensable. 
Since World War II it has played a role of in- 
creasing importance for operational and research 
studies of atmospheric phenomena. Color radar 
combined with an electronic memory system 1s 
destined to become indispensable in future re- 
search projects in cloud physics. 
Instrumented aircraft have been used [Cun- 
ningham and Atlas, 1954] to study the structure 
of hail at 32,000 ft as observed from the air- 
craft. Cunningham’s long experience in obsery- 
ing frontal systems, thunderstorms, tornadoes, 
and hurricanes is a strong endorsement for in- 
strumented aircraft as a research tool for future 
research. Simpson and others [1958] confirm the 
value of aircraft observations in studying the 
structure of hurricanes. Much of the experi- 
mental data obtained in the University of Chi- 
cago cloud-physies research program were ob- 
tained from specially instrumented aircraft. 
Constant-level balloons, manned and un- 
manned, have not been mentioned in the present 
discussions. These large inexpansible polyethyl- 
