WMOD00317 ‎(2)‎

• Title: A Comparison of the Potential of Cloud Seeding to Enhance Mountain Snowpack in Colorado During Dry, Normal and Wet Winters
• Date: 1/1/1983
• State: CO
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

Research Approach: Data Availability and Limitations

o

Data with the areal coverage, spatial resolution and length of
re<::ord necessary to conduct a cornprehensi ve assessment of seeding
opportunities do not exist. The conclusions of this study,
therefore, are tentative and subject to revision as additional data
be<::ome available.

o

The best data available are interPOlations of atmospheric soundings
canputed for the winters of 1961-62 through 1973-74 by Dr. Owen Rhea
as part of his dissertation in Atmospheric Sciences at Colorado
State University. The interPOlations were made from soundings taken
by the National Weather Service at two sites in Colorado and four
sites in bordering states. Rhea did not include earlier winters
be<::ause soundings were not taken at one of the sites prior to 1961.

o

Since nqne of the winters for which these data are available were
extremely dry, conclusions could not be drawn about seeding
opportunity during very dry periods. Resources did not permit
preparation of interpolations for 1976-77 and 1980-81, recent
winters of low snowpack.

o

Use of interPOlated soundings requires three assumptions whose
validity is difficult to determine:

1) that all storms can be detected by soundings taken only
twice each day,

2) that a single sounding can adequately represent all air
about to enter the state, and

3) that "seedable" storms can be identified using criteria
based on statistical analysis of scientific experiments
previously conducted in the Climax area of Colorado.

2

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