Weather modification: fact or fiction?
image copyright Patrick Owsley
Is weather modification a real thing or just something made up in cartoons, like
SIMON BAR SINISTER 's rainmaker machine from the classic Underdog cartoon?
Weather modification is fact. It has been a pretty standardized practice since around 1950, more commonly known as cloud seeding. In Nevada, scientists are trying to increase the snow pack that feeds Nevada's water supply by 5- 15%. With drought conditions, those numbers would make a significant impact.
What exactly is cloud seeding? It is a process where aerosolized silver iodide (invented in 1946 but Bernard Vonnegut [yes, Kurt's older brother]). He discovered that putting dry ice directly into clouds, it encourages precipitation. Later found that silver iodide would have the same effect.
There have been many projects related to cloud seeding ; Project Skywater, Project Stormfury and even Operation Popeye! Researched surged and then dwindled in the 1970s due to inconclusive results, rainy seasons and environmentalists reluctance to mess with the natural weather cycles; not to mention the fact that silver iodide is listed as a toxic chemical by the EPA (read about their evaluation of it for cloud seeding).
OnEarth Magazine has written a great article on this topic and you can read the complete article here to find out more and exactly what Operation Popeye was. "A-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah!"
The library has great databases to find out more as well. Go here to research more.
References:
Strand, G., 2013. Silver lining playbook. http://www.onearth.org/articles/2013/09/cloud-seeding-may-sound-wacko-but-could-it-save-us-from-droughts
Image credit: http://powsley.blogspot.com/2012_03_01_archive.html
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