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<br />Corn Belt. Before an actual modification eKperiment begins, background <br />studies must be carried out to describe natural weather and environmental <br />conditions and to define the natural variability of crucial factors that <br />determine modification potential and the detectability of modified'weather. <br />All of the research elements described in this plan that focus on specific <br />weather modification objectives--precipitation enhancement, hurricane <br />amelioration, abatement of hail and other severe-storm-related weather, and <br />stratus and fog dissipation--are part of this approach. <br /> <br />These research approaches are complementary and each is necessary. Field <br />projects are based on hypotheses developed from the fundamental research <br />approach. Conversely, most field projects normally include background and <br />exploratory studies whose objective is to obtain additional data specific to <br />that site and/or to the project objective. This new information not only <br />serves the site-specific project but also adds to the overall data base that <br />allows formulation of general principles and sound physical hypotheses. <br />Concurrent activity using both approaches is essential to achieve a useful and <br />reliable national weather modification capability in a reasonable time frame. <br /> <br />To the extent practicable, field efforts supporting fundamental research <br />and those established to address specific weather-related problems will be <br />conducted at common field sites, thus facilitating information exchange and <br />increasing the effectiveness of available resources. Similarly, weather <br />modification efforts involving common cloud types (e.g., hail suppression and <br />convective rain enhancement) will share field sites and facilities, provided <br />operating conditions suitable for both objectives can be found. <br /> <br />A two-pronged approach is also needed in the environmental and societal <br />research programs directed toward understanding the impacts of weather <br />modification. All major field experiments will include a societal research <br />element to determine the local implications of the weather changes being <br />induced by seeding. As information accrues from these site-specific studies <br />and understanding of the potential impacts of the weather modification <br />experiment grows, more broad-based investigations will be initiated to fill in <br />crucial gaps and to perform technology assessments that will integrate the <br />scattered knowledge to arrive at the probable total impacts of the "Neather <br />modification technology on social, economic, legal, and environmental <br />condi tions. <br /> <br />D . PROGR.~ EMPH..<\SIS <br /> <br />As mentioned earlier, this program focuses on intentional weather <br />modification. However, cities, power plants, and many agricultural ac~ivities <br />modify weather on local and regional scales, orten dramatically. These <br />unintentional effects are so important and pervasive that an analysis or their <br />scale and nature is essential. For that reason a separate interagency task <br />force will be formed by the Subcommittee on Weather ~odification to address <br />the problem of inadvertent weather modification. However, knowing ~ore about <br />the causes and effect of unintended weather modification can also assist in <br />research aimed at intentionally modifying the weather. Tnerefore, future <br />studies leading to understanding of urban influences and effects of power <br /> <br />- 27 - <br />