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<br />fell, or indirectly by measuring the change in cloud characteristics. <br />Precipitation can be measured at the ground and at cloudbase, with rain <br />gages and with radar. Rain gage data are adequate for long-term proj- <br />ects but, unless the seeded cloud passes over a rain gage, the data <br />will not be representative of the real effect on individual clouds. <br />Radar provides a measure of the total precipitation that falls over an <br />area, but the radar must be carefully.calibrated using rain gage data. <br />The best evaluation tool may soon be the mathematical model. Models <br />can provide an estimate of the amount of rain a cloud will produce if <br />it is seeded and if it is left alone and allowed to produce precipita- <br />tion naturally. <br /> <br />.In research programs, considerable interest is focused on individual <br />clouds and the amount of rain they produce. In operational projects, <br />however, the emphasis is on the total rainfall for the season and <br />upon the timing of the rain, not on how much a given cloud produces. <br />Operational projects, then, tend to be evalua~ed on the basis of sea- <br />sonal precipitation increase and also on the basis of the economic <br />benefits derived from the additional rain. <br /> <br />ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLIS~1ENTS <br /> <br />Research and Development <br /> <br />In the Project Skywater of the Bureau of Reclamation, a major part of <br />the research and development effort has been directed toward cloud phys- <br />ics investigations to determine how microphysical and dynamic processes <br />within clouds can be altered to increase precipitation with field experi- <br />ments, laboratory research, and computer modeling. New, more effective <br />and efficient cloud seeding materials and equipment have been developed <br />and tested. There is continuing emphasis on lower cost materials neces- <br />sary for economic large-scale seeding. <br /> <br />Integrated weather modification systems have been designed and tested, <br />including centralized operational control with computers for improved <br />direction of seeding activities during rapidly changing weather condi- <br />tions. Instruments and data systems for measuring atmospheric param- <br />eters in the detail and speed required for weather modification opera- <br />tions and evaluations continue to be developed and adapted. New <br />developments include ice-nuclei counters, replicators, lasers, and air- <br />borne instrumentations. Engineering accuracy and reliability are <br />important considerations. <br /> <br />Investigations of possible atmospheric side effects of cloud seeding in <br />the atmosphere and on the surface beyond the intended target area have <br /> <br />8 <br />