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Last modified
7/28/2009 2:34:07 PM
Creation date
4/11/2008 3:44:32 PM
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Template:
Weather Modification
Title
Guidelines for Cloud Seeding to Augment Precipitation
Date
1/1/1995
Weather Modification - Doc Type
Report
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<br />ASPECTS OF PRECIPITATION ENHANCEMENT <br /> <br />15 <br /> <br />fall rate and amount from a 10% decrease to a 75% increase was applied <br />to a 3D-year series of rainfall observations. The simulated average grow- <br />ing season rainfall increased in a range from 3.8 em in southeastern <br />Kansas to 5.7 em in northwestern Kansas. The expected changes in yield <br />(Table 2.2) illustrate that not all crops respond proportionately, and the <br />total response depends on the climatic and agricultural conditions of the <br />region. Benefits of added grain crop production were linked to the price <br />conditions assumed. In the western region" where benefits were poten- <br />tially the largest, the 1978 estimates ranged from $99 to $127 million <br />(Smith 1978). The higher estimate assumed no reduction in crop prices <br />from increased production; the lower estimate considered such a reduc- <br />tion. With lower prices, the study noted, producers in areas not directly <br />affected by cloud seeding might experience loss of income, or the western <br />part of Kansas might gain at the expense of eastern Kansas if a successful <br />rain enhancement program were instituted statewide. <br />More recent and in-deRth experimental and modeling studies have <br />focused on the humid Com Belt of the Midwest where the objective of <br />cloud seeding is most often to stabilize normally adequate precipitation <br />by lessening variability. These studies illustrate some of the more com- <br />plex considerations that are broadly pertinent to approach and policy <br />decisions about cloud seeding <in many regions and with other sets of <br />response variables. Since crop response translates directly into economic <br />response, soil moisture and crop studies are noted here along with eco- <br />nomic evaluations. <br />Soil infiltration measurements and crop water use models show that <br />shallow ground water responds to precipitation immediately with lags <br />upward to two months, depending on soil type. The model simulations <br />(based on measurements) suggest that a large increase in rain (10-25%) <br />directly on the crops would be required to affect crops under stress <br />sufficiently to help growth. This result was. indicated because any rain <br />during crop stress periods is normally light, and even high percentage <br />additions to the light rain would be small. However, the same percentage <br />added during wet periods would be a greater quantity and would go <br /> <br />TABLE 2.2. Average Expected Yield Changes due to Assumed <br />Precipitation Alteration in Kansas (Smith 1983) <br /> <br />Crop Eastern Kansas Central Kansas Western Kansas <br />Fallow wheat - +0.46 bu/acre +4.76 bu/acre <br />Grain sorghum +0.47 bu/ acre +0.25 bu/acre +3.15 bu/acre <br />Continuous wheat -0.07bu/acre +0.88 bu/acre +2.31 bu/acre <br />Forage sorghum - +0.18 ton/acre +0.17 ton/acre <br />Soybeans +0.36 bu/acre - - <br />Alfalfa +0.09 ton/acre - - <br />Corn -0.02 bu/acre - - <br /> <br />(bu/ - bushels per) <br />
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