WMOD00388

• Title: Feasibility of Snowpack Enhancement from Colorado Winter Mountain Clouds: Emphasis on Supercooled Liquid Water and Seeding with Silver Iodide and Propane
• Date: 9/30/2005
• State: CO
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Executive SUlnmary ....... ...... ... .......... ........ ........ .............................. ....... ... ......... ....... ..... ............ 1

Table of Contents ..... .... ..... ....... ... ................. ....... ..... .......... ... ........ ..... ... ... .... .......... ....... ..... ........ lV

1. Introduction.................................................................................................................. ......... I

2. Summary of Findings Regarding SLW Cloud ...................................................................... 4
3. Summary of Findings Regarding Seeding Methods.............................................................. 7
4. Seeding by Expansion of Liquid Propane ............................................................................. 8
5. Characteristics of Supercooled Liquid Water Cloud............................................................. 11
6. Transport and Dispersion of Ground Seeding with Emphasis on Valley Releases ............... 15
6.a. Seeding from Valley Locations ..... ................ ... ..... ......... .... ..... ... .............. ...................... 17
6. b. Silver in Snow Concentrations .. .......... ...... ....... .................. .......... ............. ..... ..... ........... 20
6.c. Seeding from High Elevation Locations......................................................................... 22
7. Propane Seeding Potential in Colorado ................................................................................. 23

8. References.................................................................................................................... ......... 26

Appendix A: Brief Summaries of Selected Published Articles and Reports Dealing with SL W

Cloud Characteristics ...... ............... ......... ....... .... ..... .... ..... ..... ............. ... .......... ... ..... ..... '" ..... ...... 32

Appendix B: Brief Summaries of Selected Articles and Reports Dealing with the Transport and
Dispersion of Ground-released Seeding Agents and Tracers ..................................................... 45

Appendix C: Application of Utah Weather Modification Research Results to Colorado

Feasibility Study......................................................................................................................... 53

Tables

Table Page

Al . Comparison of mountain-top temperatures with SL W present at three Colorado

locations..................................................................................................................... ........ 36

C1. Stability classes of storm soundings' lowest reported layer............................................... 57

C2. Stability classes of storm soundings' lowest reported layer............................................... 60

Figures

Temporal distribution of ice crystal concentration (top) and precipitation intensity
(bottom), both calculated from the mountain-top observatory 2D-C probe, and acoustical
counter measurements of AgI, effective at -200C (middle panel). .................................. 10

C 1 Percentiles of Mt. Pleasant and DOT temperatures for hours which had vertically-
integrated SLW ~ 0.05 mm during the period mid-January to mid-March 1991. ............ 56

C2 Wind speeds and directions for Utah Wasatch Plateau investigations in the Sanpete Valley

at Mount Pleasant. ............................................................................................................. 61

iv