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<br />Limited physical data from previous experiments have, however, <br />provided considerable insight into natural precipitation processes <br />and their potential for modification. A physical analysis of data <br />collected during the last 2 years of the Colorado River Basin <br />Pilot Project has resulted in the development of a winter <br />orographic storm structure model and an assessment of its <br />seeding potential. The general features of this model have <br />been found to be consistent with storms observed in Washington <br />and California as well as those in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. <br />Further elaboration and verification of these concepts are <br />required to establish a sound physical foundation for modifica- <br />tion hypotheses, their operational implementation, and their <br />extension to other locations. <br /> <br />Confidence in our ability to obtain the required physical support <br />is greatly strengthened by the recent advancement" of measurement <br />capabilities, many of which are particularly well-suited to an <br />investigation of winter orographic cloud systems. New develop- <br />ments in high performance aircraft with sophisticated cloud <br />physics and air-motion measurement systems, new and better <br />remote sensing systems, and portable mesoscale meteorological <br />stations make certain vital physical parameters directly <br />observable for the first time. We no longer have to rely on <br />indirect indices of physical conditions, an approach which has <br />proved to be inaccurate and misleading. Advances in onsite <br />processing, display and preliminary analysis of field data <br />provide a basis for more rapid learning and the development of <br />opportunity recognition and reaction systems. It is now possible <br />to reinforce the statistical evaluation of experiments by <br />documenting the chain of physical events. The program proposed <br />in the following section is based on this philosophy. <br /> <br />IV-5 <br />