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<br />-11- <br /> <br />B. Impact Implications: Costs and Benefits <br /> <br />Although the benefits and disbenefits of weather modification <br /> <br />must be examined from many economic and environmental points of view, <br /> <br />we will use agriculture here as an example. The later treatment of <br /> <br />the social-political aspects will broaden this point of vi.ew. <br /> <br />The possibilities of: i) producing dangerous flood conditions, <br /> <br />ii) exacerbating severe storm situtations, iii) transferring rain- <br /> <br />fall from one area to another, iv) reducing rainfall in time of <br /> <br />drought, v) and a host of other problems will not be dealt with at <br /> <br />this time. <br /> <br />Again, water is of value for more than growing crops; and, in <br /> <br />fact, the value of additional rainfall is often critically associated <br /> <br />with its timing. These points, too, deserve attention, but the <br /> <br />reader is referred to the literature for their elucidation. <br /> <br />One of the few studies which have attempted to turn estimated <br /> <br />rainfall increases produced by operational weather modification into <br /> <br />dollar impacts on agriculture is reported by Eddy et al. (1979) and <br /> <br />by Cooter (1980). Statewide dollar direct impacts by five crops in <br /> <br />North Dakota are shown in Table 4 (from Cooter, 1980). <br /> <br />CROP CATEGORY <br /> <br />DOLLAR IMP ACT <br /> <br />Oats <br />Barley <br />Durum Wheat <br />Spring Wheat Other Tha.n Durum <br />All Small Grains (Sum of Above) <br />Hay <br /> <br />$799,070.26 <br />$286,994.92 <br />$351,824.24 <br />$757,793.08 <br />$2,195,682.50 <br />$1,314,833.84 <br /> <br />TABLE 4: Average annual direct impacts from rainfall increase via <br />cloud seeding. <br />