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Last modified
7/28/2009 2:29:18 PM
Creation date
7/18/2007 11:59:27 AM
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Template:
Weather Modification
Title
Western Kansas Weather Modification Program 2006 - Final Report
Prepared By
Walter E. Geiger III
Date
10/30/2006
State
KS
Weather Modification - Doc Type
Report
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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />agent give us better rainfall optimization capability while at the same time producing high <br />numbers of ice crystals for hail suppression. The new composition contains AgI, ammonium <br />iodide (NH41), sodium chloride (NaCI04), paradichlorobenzene (C6H4CI2), water and Acetone. <br />Contact nucleation occurs when ice nuclei, initially are not trapped in the water droplets, but <br />eventually are captured by other droplets through random collisions within the cloud, then <br />become ice crystals. The entire process of hygroscopic condensation, followed by freezing and <br />contact nucleation, forms greater numbers of ice crystals at relatively warmer temperatures <br />within a cloud than by simple contact nucleation. <br /> <br />Within supercooled convective clouds there are regions in which the ice crystals that <br />form from water droplets tend to grow into characteristic shapes. This refers to "crystal habits." <br />These shapes depend upon the actual temperature of the water when it converts from water <br />droplet to ice crystal. The study of the physical characteristics of ice crystals is complicated, <br />however, there have been some generalized findings which the scientific community appears to <br />accept as repeatable observations: <br /> <br />Near the freezing level, around -3C, super cooled water droplets tend to form into "plate" <br />type crystals which transition into "columns" from -5C to -9C, then back into plates again <br />between -11 C and -21 C. There are other types of ice crystals within these ranges, but these tend <br />to be the dominant crystal types found. Growth rates of ice crystal mass show a peak at -15C and <br />a smaller one near -7C. Once larger ice crystals are formed they are able to grow in mass much <br />faster than those with smaller crystal shapes, such as needles and columns, and will increase ice <br />crystal formation quickly. Therefore, in order to obtain the desired cloud seeding effects each <br />cloud must be treated within a proper time interval, or window of opportunity, to produce the <br />optimum ice crystal concentrations in clouds naturally deficient in them. A cloud growing to <br />maturity must be treated with enough time allowed so that the generated ice nuclei can be lifted <br />by natural updraft action into, and through, the appropriate temperature and moisture regime and <br />reside there for sufficient time to interact with the supercooled cloud water. If this opportunity <br />window is missed when attempting rainfall stimulation, for instance, clouds can collapse <br />prematurely resulting in wasted effort and resources. Therefore, supercooled cloud volume <br />"residence time" is critical to the success of both rain stimulation and hail reduction efforts. <br /> <br />Under certain atmospheric conditions, clouds may be stimulated to grow larger and rain <br />longer than would be the case, if otherwise left unseeded. Weakly and moderately growing <br />curnuliform cloud behavior can be altered through what is called the "dynamic effect" theory. <br />The theory runs like this: A sufficiently large amount of seeding agent is inserted quickly into the <br />supercooled portion of a cloud to promote a conversion from water droplets to ice crystals <br />causing a rapid release of the latent heat of fusion from large quantities the droplets thus making <br />the cloud slightly warmer and more buoyant, invigorating cloud updrafts and causing more <br />moisture to enter the cloud to be "processed" into rainfall, eventually raining more, and longer, <br />than ifleft unseeded. <br /> <br />Most used among the techniques of cloud top seeding aircraft on many other programs is <br />the dropping of ejectable flares from a belly rack on the cloud top plane. This type of seeding is <br />not done on the WKWMP primarily because of high cost for flares. It is a much more expensive <br />to seed with flares than with dry ice, despite the sublimation (evaporation) occurring with dry ice <br /> <br />7 <br />
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