WMOD00298 ‎(2)‎

• Project Name: Project Skywater
• Title: Project Skywater - Fiscal Year 1979 Report
• Prepared By: US Department of Interior Bureau of Reclaimation
• Date: 3/1/1981
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

With Skywater support, UND is continuing a Weather Modification Pilot Training
Project first initiat d in 1973 with an NSF grant. This program is the only
one of its kind in th world and has a goal of providing a credible education
program for weather m dification pilots. Students receive classroom and
flight training and a e placed as interns with a State-sponsored cloud
seeding program.

In 1979, 12 students completed training and the incoming class numbered 28.
These pilots will bec me important members of the teams which conduct precipi-
tation management res arch.

The university expand d its training program in 1979 toinc 1 ude fl ight
instruction in high-altitude seeding research. A high-performance Piper
Cheyenne II turboprop is used to provide training on visual recognition of
ontop seeding opportunities, high-altitude seeding techniques, optimal use
of the aircraft, and light plan coordination with Air Traffic Control.

In fiscal year 1979, ND made plans to acquire a Citation II turbojet equipped
with sophisticated meteorological instrumentation for high-altitude cloud
physics research. Aircraft measurements will be correlated with satellite
and radar observations to advance our understanding of mechanisms that may
produce seeding effects outside target areas and how effects may be detected.
Such mechanisms include: downwind transport of nuclei, dynamic intensification,
anvil shadow effects, water balance, and gravity wave production.

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CONTRACTOR: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
CONTRACT NO~ 9-06-85-V 025
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Thomas Vonder Haar and David Reynolds
CONTRACT PERIOD: April 1, 1979, to September 30, 1984
FY79 FUNDING: $94,519
PURPOSE: Digital satellite data collection and analyses

This contract has four goals: (1) collection and quality control of digital
visible and infrared g osynchronous satellite imagery during the HIPLEX and
SCPP field seasons, (2) climatological and statistical summaries.of satellite-
derived cloud and meso cale properties, (3) real-time support and development
of quantitative applic tion techniques for satellite imagery during field
operations, and (4) in ensive case studies to provide additional information
from satellite data which advances our understanding of the evolution of
precipitation on the H"gh Plains at HIPLEX sites.

Accomplishments during the past year include: (1) collection and navigation
of digital images for 7 days at 30-minute intervals and 8 days with 3-minute
intervals, and creatio of video tape summary loops of these cases, (2)
real-time direct reado t of 25 automatic environmental surface observation
platforms from the Tex s HIPLEX site through the GOES satellite, (3) comple-
tion of the 1978 HIPLE cloud climatologies providing cloud population
statistics which descr"be the temporal and spatial evolution of clouds having
various sizes, and (4) development of intensive case studies using high-
frequency 3-minute Res arch Rapid Scan Satellite data. The intensive case
study analysis is cont"nuing with satellite-derived wind fields and digital
radar data mapped into satell ite coordinates. .

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