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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 />D. SF6 Tracer Studies <br /> <br />LOREP is in the developmental stage. This will require testing <br />of ground based dispensers to determine how effective release of <br />liquid propane from the Sierra crest is in increasing the <br />snowpack in the target area. Knowing the transport and <br />dispersion (T&D) of ice crystals created near the dispensers by <br />the cooling of expanding propane is very important to the success <br />of the LOREP. Tracer gas (SF6) has been released from one of the <br />dispenser sites and monitored in the downwind valley and on the <br />upwind slope of the Grizzly Ridge during several experiments. <br />While tracer gas has been detected at these locations, it remains <br />to be demonstrated that propane-created ice crystals are <br />routinely transported across the valley, growing into snowflakes <br />which settle on Grizzly Ridge. This can only be accomplished by <br />a combination of aircraft sampling and surface sampling. <br />A research aircraft provided by the National Oceanic and <br />Atmospheric Administration, equipped with a continuous SF6 <br />analyzer will fly at low elevations ( 8500 ft.) over the target <br />area during seeding operations. In addition, a continuous SF6 <br />analyzer will be installed near the Jackson Creek precipitation <br />gauge site where additional observations will be made. More will <br />be said about this in the next section. <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />15 <br />