Science, and transportation united states senate

early 1960's. When a thunderstorm appears to the west or is starting to build

up, a plane will move in mysteriously out of nowhere, and maybe fly once or twice

53 Tri-State Natural Weather Association, "Cloud Seeding ; the Crime of the Century," St.

Thomas. Pa. (no publication date), p. 2.

54 Ibid., p. 1.

55 Elliott, "Experience of the Private Sector," 1974, p. 84.

402

along the leading edge of the thunderstorm, disappear, and the thunderstorm

In a recent article contributed by the Tri-State Natural Weather

Association to a nationally circulated publication devoted to organic

agriculture, the following evils, supposedly brought on by weather

modification, were cataloged :

1. Cloud seeding has been responsible for the great 5-year drought

in the Northeast United States.

2. Isolated sections in the Northeast have experienced 18 years of

drought due to cloud seeding.

3. Weather disturbances in the South Atlantic [sic] have been

eliminated and has reduced [sic] the east coast's rainfall by 30 per-

cent — rain that is needed if agriculture is to be successful.

4. The average dairy farmer on the east coast, living in an area of

cloud seeding, has averaged a net financial loss because of cloud seed-

ing.

5. Crop production losses in Franklin County, Pa., alone have

6. When effects of seeding wear off, cloudbursts occur, causing

floods, destroying crops, buildings, and drowning people as well as

livestock.

7. Seeding has been responsible for the serious air pollution prob-

lems.

chemicals.

9. Poisoning of all living matter is directly related to cloud seeding.

10. Emphysema is three times higher in areas of heavy cloud

seeding.

11. Cancer is virulently out of proportion.

12. Financial losses to agriculture and related industries run into

the billions.

13. Forest trees as well as cultivated orchards are dying from chem-

ical reactions taking place in the air due to the addition of cloud seed-

ing agents.

14. The atmosphere has been rendered completely biologically in-

compatible with all living matter, which includes animals, plants, and

humans. 57

Tri-State reported that it has requested the President of the United

States to announce a ban on all cloud seeding on or over the Appa-

lachian Mountains and the Atlantic Coastal Plain for 3 years, or until

a Federal regulatory commission is established, in order to "permit the

economy to recover." 58

Citizens for the Preservation of Natural Resources

Commercial cloud seeders were welcomed by many farmers through-

out the High Plains region in the 1950's when that region was hit by a

severe drought; and, even after the drought subsided, interest in

weather modification continued. In the San Luis Valley of southern

Colorado, where precipitation averages 6.5 inches per year and where

M Hill, Edmund R., in testimony, U.S. Congress, House of Representatives. Committee on

Science and Technology, Subcommittee on the Environment and the Atmosphere, "Weather

Modification," hearings, 94th Cong., 2d sess., June 15-18. 1976, p. 372.

57 Tri-State Natural Weather Association, "The Rain-Making Myth," Acres, U.S.A. ; a

Voice for Eeo-agriculture, vol. 7, No. 6, June 1977, Kansas City, Mo., pp. 37-38.

68 Ibid., p. 39.

403

there has been a continuing interest in the potential for mitigating

these effects through weather modification. In particular, Moravian

barley, an important cash crop used in beer manufacture, is especially

susceptible to damage from hail and dampening from too much rain

during its critical 6- week ripening and harvest period in late summer.

As a possible means of reducing such damages, William K. Coors,

president of the Coors Co., which had contracted to buy most of this

crop from local barley growers, initiated a weather modification pro-

gram for the San Luis Valley which was designed to suppress hail and

divert rainfall during this critical season. 59

Barley growers in the five-county San Luis Valley were outnum-

bered by other kinds of farmers and ranchers, however, whose interests

were not benefited from decreased rainfall, though suppression of

hail was of some interest to them. As a result, weather modification be-

came controversial and many farmers were convinced that cloud seed-

ing was responsible for the 1970 drought. That year about 400 ranchers

and farmers banded into a group then called the San Luis Citizens

Concerned About Weather Modification; subsequently, its name was

changed to Citizens for the Preservation of Natural Resources. By

1971, valley people were demanding that weather modification be

stopped, and many charges, some farfetched, were made in opposition

to the seeding project. When citizens of the valley learned that current

State law could not restrain weather modifiers once they had obtained

licenses, there was a campaign, led by State Representative Clarence

Quinlan, himself a rancher in the valley, to enact a new weather modi-

fication statute in Colorado. Since sentiment about weather modifica-

tion throughout the State was mixed, the new law passed by the legis-

lature in 1972 did not ban such activities but does require closer reg-

ulation and public hearings in local areas affected. It is required that

operators clearly show prospects for economic benefit before a permit

is granted. 60

In 1972, in spite of much local opposition to the seeding project, and

the recommendation for permit denial by the hearing officer, the

permit was granted with the stipulation that the suppression effort

include hail but not rain. Opposition grew stronger by November,

however, and, at the request of the Citizens for the Preservation

of Natural Resources, county commissioners placed an advisory

referendum on the ballot in the five valley counties. The vote went

heavily against weather modification throughout the valley,

including Rio Grande County where most of the barley

is grown. In a letter to each of the barley growers, Coors

threatened to eliminate its barley purchases from the valley if the

weather modification program were not conducted in 1973 and subse-

quent years. Both sides were represented by legal counsel and technical

witnesses at the controversial spring hearing in 1973 ; however, there,

was no concrete evidence presented by witnesses on either side showing

an increase or decrease in rainfall from past seeding. This second

round of permit hearings resulted again in a recommendation against

f Carter, Luther J., "Weather Modification : Colorado Heeds Voters In Valley Dispute,"

Science, vol. 180. No. 4093, June 29, 1973, p. 1347.

60 Ibid., pp. 1347-1348.

404

the permit from the hearing officer. This time the advisory committee

director denied the permit. 61

Coors did carry through with the threatened cutback of barley pur-

chases ; however, the barley growers are now receiving contracts with

another brewery which seems less concerned with the consequences of

weather modification. It has been reported that Valley Growers, Inc.,

the organization of barley farmers in the San Luis Valley, are pro-

ducing more barley than ever. 62

No further summertime hail modification has been conducted in the

San Luis Valley, though Valley Growers, Inc., still interested in bene-

fits from weather modification, decided in 1975 to sponsor an opera-

tional snowpack enhancement project in the mountains west of the

valley to increase the water supply from runoff. Though former oppo-

nents opposed this new project, they agreed to discuss the situation and

aired their concerns before the project's sponsors and operator. The

meeting resulted in an agreement between project supporters and op-

ponents that became the condition under which the project was to be

conducted. The condition called for (1) a citizen committee to monitor

operations, and (2) veto authority by a majority of the committee to

suspend operations at any time during the winter season. Both propo-

nents and opponents from different geographical regions affected by

the operations were represented on the committee, and a committee

member was contacted for clearance prior to each planned seeding op-

eration. This is the only known instance of an organized opposition

group agreeing to permit a weather modification project after success-

fully stopping earlier operations. It is possible, however, that there

was less public opposition and skepticism in the case of the newer proj-

ect, owing to the different goals and effects of snowpack enhancement

compared with hail suppression and possible attendant rainfall de-

crease. 63

81 Ibid., pp. 1349-1350.

e2 Tri-State Natural Weather Association, Inc., "The Rain-Making Myth," 1977, p. 15.

83 Changnon, Stanley A.. Jr., Ray Jay Davis, Barbara C. Farhar, J. Eugene Haas. J. Lore-

ena Ivens. Martin V. Jones, Donald A. Klein, Dean Mann, Griffith M. Morgan, Jr., Steven T.

Sonka, Earl R. Swanson, C. Robert Taylor, and Jon van Blokland, "Hail Suppression : Im-

pacts and Issues," final report. Technology Assessment of the Suppression of Hail, ERP75-

09980, National Science Foundation. Illinois State Water Survey, Urbana, 111., April 1977.

pp. 48-50.

CHAPTER 9

FOREIGN ACTIVITIES IN WEATHER MODIFICATION

(By Robert E. Morrison, Specialist in Earth Sciences, Science Policy Research

Division, Congressional Research Service)

Introduction

The United States has been the world leader in weather modification

research and operations, particularly since World War II, following

the historic discoveries of Schaefer and others. Nevertheless, other

countries have also been active in the field, notable among which is

the Soviet Union. Activities in that country as well as those of some

other nations with larger programs will be discussed in a later section

of this chapter.

Information on foreign weather modification activities is not uni-

formly documented and is not always available. Some information has

been provided through papers which appear in professional journals

or are delivered at professional meetings in this country or abroad. 1

There is also information exchange through contacts with U.S. meteor-

ologists who have visited, or have been visited by, their foreign coun-

terparts. However, expenditures for weather modification activities

in a given country are seldom identified, and the size and significance

of the program in a country may be judged disproportionately by

the abundance or dearth of published or other information received

through various channels.

Changnon has collected data from a wide variety of sources which

show that, since the opening of the modern era of weather modification

following World War II, planned weather modification projects have

existed at various times in at least 62 nations through the year 1973. 2

His tabulations take into account only those projects directed toward

precipitation enhancement and/or hail suppression; 57 of the coun-

tries identified had projects aimed at increasing precipitation, while

in 14 countries projects were designed to decrease hail. In 9 coun-

tries there were projects with both goals. These 62 nations, shown on

the map in figure 1, are distributed over all the world's continents

except Antarctica.

Although the locations of the performance of the rain and hail

modification projects are shown in figure 1, the country of origin of

support of weather modification operations is not always evident.

Thus, while projects in the countries of Europe, much of North Amer-

ica, and a few other developed countries like Israel, Japan, and the

USSR have involved their own scientists and resources ; most of the

x Charak, Mason T., "Weather Modification Activity Reports; Calendar Year 1975," Na-

tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Environmental Monitoring and

Prediction. Rockville. Md., June 1966, p. 48.

2 Changnon, Stanley A., Jr., "Present and Future of Weather Modification; Regional

Issues," The Journal of Weather Modification, vol. 7, No. 1, April 1975, p. 167.

(405)

projects in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia were under-

taken by American companies or with American financial and tech-

nological support. 3

In an attempt to assemble uniform information on the weather mod-

ification activities of member nations, the World Meteorological

Organization (WMO) in 1975 instigated a system of reporting of,

and maintaining a register on, such activities. This WMO mechanism

for collection and dissemination of weather modification project data

is discussed in the next section.

3 Ibid., p. 170.

407

suppression) has been employed during all or portions of the 1946-73 period.

(From Changnou, Present and Future of Weather Modification, 1975.)

408

cation Projects

At the Seventh World Meteorological Congress in Geneva in 1975,

the WMO approved a Weather Modification Programme, one part of

which is a requirement that the Secretary -General maintain a register

of experiments and operations in weather modification carried out

within member countries. Two reports on these reported projects have

been published by the WMO, covering activities for calendar years

1975 and 1976, respectively. 4 - 5 Submission of data for the WMO

register is voluntary for member countries; however, most countries

with projects do provide the requested information. Twenty-five na-

tions reported weather modification projects which occurred during

1976, while 16 had provided similar information for 1975. In addition,

member countries with no such activities are also asked to so indicate ;

58 countries reported that there were no weather modification field

activities, either experimental or operational, conducted within their

boundaries in 1976. 6 Although the list was not identical, the same

number of countries reported no projects the previous year. Some

countries, including Rhodesia and the Republic of South Africa, with

past and current weather modification projects, are not members of

the WMO ; consequently, their projects are not reported through the

WMO register.

Table 1, adapted from the WMO report of 1976 weather modifica-

tion activities, 7 shows the WMO member countries, other than the

United States, within which reported weather modification activities

were conducted during 1976, along with, characteristics of the one or

more projects within each country. Projects reported to the WMO

by the United States, which account for nearly one-half of those in-

cluded in the register, have been removed from table 1, since they are

tabulated elsewhere in this report. 8

* World Meteorological Organization, "Register of National Weather Modification Proj-

ects ; 1975," Geneva. 1976, 39 pp.

5 World Meteorological Organization. "Register of National Weather Modification Proj-

ects ; 1976," Geneva, 1977. 24 pp. (An addendum to the report on 1976 projects included

information on activities in the U.S.S.R.)

6 Ibid., app. A.

7 Ibid., pp. 6-12 and addendum.

8 See app. G.

409

- modlflcat

8

%

I

Is

S

5

i

5

s

|

11

2 8

£

|

■ ring J

i S

i-i

1

|

II

i

s ■

IS

1

2

U

5

n

8

10

5HTIHA

a) 5,000

b) 1.000

National Anti-Hail Programme

34°S

68°¥

r«

(C)

per km rocket trajectory.

-rand*-10 8 C e "othermsr en

reflectivity.

Oct-Mar

Nil

ILL

PE

HCDAPT (feasibility atudy of

precipitation enhancement

ME Brazil)

40.5 8 V

1971

Res

Air dispersal NaCl, HB.HO

ano urea at 7.5 1/min it '

cloud base (appro* 1500m*)

Dec

5

CI

b) 0.9*10°

MOCLIMA (feasibility of climate

modification through carbon

dust dispersal to absorb solar

energy)

35-47 B ¥

1975

Yes

(C)

carbon dust particles

(~0.1«) by incomplete

combustion of hydro-

-

None

CiSA

a) 11,000

Anti-hail cloud seeding

25.5°B

Yes

(G)

Hay-Sept

24

PE

b) 20C.000

Forest Fire Rainfall Enhancement

Project, Yellowknife, nVT, 1976

(N.W.T. 76-01)

62.5°|

1975

(o)

5O-700g/h or 50-700g/20

aec. Seeding level -10 C

isotherm or 300m below

cloud top, whichever lower

J on- Jul

8

a) 35.000

Alberta Ball Project

(Alta 76-01)

52.2°I

1970

Agr

Air flares Agl at 3000g/h

(wing), 7200g/h (drop-

pable). Cloud top seeding

at temperatures to -8 C

(4500-5500m) and seeding

at base

Jun-Sept

era

PS

19b8

Hyd

Air dispersal C0 £ and RaCl

Apr-Sept

HOSI/0

•) 1J0

Hall and precipitation

modification

S.¥.

Tee

Hyd

Rockets

■BUB

•) 1440

Bail •uppr«»ion proj*ot

Bo#«nh»t»

47. 8>

1975

Agr

(0)

May-Oct

ei

a) 5500

Bail Buppr«Mion Kxp«ria«nt of

th« Hungarian P*opl*'a H* pub lie

45.e°t

1976

Agr

Co.

Rocket pyro Pbl , seeding

in Cb "accumulation tone"

Jul-Oet

Table 1. — Weather modification projects reported, by country, through the

World Meteorological Organization Register, with U. S. projects deleted. (See

key at end of table for explanation of columns.) (Adapted from WMO Register

of National Weather Modification Projects, 1976, and addendum.)

410

al Rainfall SEnanceaent

ect - EXP III

Alto-Tegliaaento Projeot

Sarca-Chieee Project

tax Project

Central 4

Southern

I.ra.l

* 6 \

flood control by cloud feting

Sonore Projeot

Artificial rainfall

PHILIPPHBB

■ulatioo operation

Project Ola p- Clan

6 - }0, o

102.5 S

116. 5°W

State

apgro.

i) G/B gen (42) Agl

ii) Air gen (5)

Agl at 600 g/h

C/B gen (6) agl at 150g/h

(1) C/B gen(40)

Agl at 50 g/h

(ii) C/B gen aobile (5)

Agl at 150 g/h

(lii) Air diepersal at

cloud base (1000-

2000a)

Agl at 50 g/h

(ii) C/B gen mobile (2)

Agl at 150 g/h

(iii) Air diapereal at

cloud base (1000-2000.)

Air dispersal CaCl

solution at 450a'/ain ■

oloud tops or in cloud

at 5000 ■.

C/B gen W 4 I/AgI

C/B butane-fired (5) and

electric arc (5) gen eacl

gen Agl 5-7 g/h

0/B butane-fired gen (9)

Agl at 6 g/h, Jh each of

50 seeding days ,

Air spraying at baae

cu/ac (ieO0-2BOOa)

Agl and Pbl solution

20-40 1/h

Air flares in eu cong.

(5000 ->800ai)

Air flares Agl

Air gen Agl 0.16-0.2?

l/.in

clouds at leap. -7 to

-12°C (5500-bOOO»)

Air diepersal CO

Air dispersal Agl 5.5g/«

in cold clouds (about

-4°C or 5OOO-55O0.)

Air dispersal laCl in

nan clouds at about

2750 ■

Apr-Oct

37(.P-

47(fle

411

B

w

Levant e

SHFP (randomized anti-

CTPOH Of SOTIgT SOCIALIST BXFTJBLICS

»)

3500

• )

2750

e

a )

I

a )

H

4580

6250

3000

•)

R

.)

- ditto -

Soodlag: Co for

additional pptn

Wlntar cloud ■••disc