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<br />ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS <br /> <br />know how they might <br />would even care. <br />We will have the capability to modify the weather on a <br />regular basis over widespread areas long before we could have <br />a detailed understanding of its possible environmental and <br />ecological effects. We think that an operational WOSA pro- <br />gram in the Upper Colorado River Basin could be environ- <br />mentally safe, if the environmental and ecological effects were <br />::l(ip'(Jn~tp.lv mnnitnrp.r1 ~nr1 pv~ l11~tpr1 Mi"\nlti"\MnO" UTi"\111tl "tltl ti"\ <br />---- -j------J --.....---...._-- --- -. -....--...--. ..................................................0 "__..L~ -............ ...- <br /> <br />the cost of the program, but it would also allow us to enjoy the <br />benefits a WOSA program could provide and to deal with prob- <br />lems as they become apparent, instead of foregoing the benefits <br />or pretending there won't be any problems. <br /> <br />or whether anyone <br /> <br />affect human activities, <br /> <br />43 <br /> <br />SNOWPACK, CLOUD-SEEDING, AND THE COLORADO RIVER <br />ber of marine life forms concentrate silver or iodine. Whether <br />the highest levels found in these marine life forms impair their <br />well-being, or the well-being of their predators, is not known~ <br />The life forms most susceptible to soluble forms of silver <br />are microorganisms, invertebrates, and fish. Microscopic life <br />forms are vital in the fixation of nitrogen in soils, and in the <br />digestion of food by cattle, sheep, deer, and elk. Invertebrate <br />life forms such as insects are important food sources for certain <br />fish, for some birds, and for some other animals. Fish are food <br />for other fish, for fish-eating birds and animals, and for people. <br />There are uncertainties in our knowledge of: <br />The distribution in the environment of silver iodide from <br />cloud-seeding <br />The rate of decomposition of silver iodide in sunlight <br />The biochemical transformation of silver and silver iodide into <br />soluble forms of silver <br />The biological magnification of silver and iodine in the food <br />chain <br />The toxicity of soluble forms of silver to these various life <br />forms. These uncertainties can all be reduced with additional <br />research and field experiments <br />With the current state of knowledge, we have no reason to <br />believe that silver iodide will present an ecological problem, <br />but we cannot be certain that it won't. <br />Minimizing Environmental Damage <br />WOSA may produce long-term environmental changes, but we <br />don't know enough to predict how great or how extensive they <br />might be. No major changes are likely to result directly from the <br />kinds of snowfall, climate, and water-related conditions that <br />WOSA will create. However, unforeseen changes may result <br />from the accumulation and interaction of many minor or in- <br />direct effects. Even if we could foresee such changes, we don't <br />42 <br />tV <br /> <br />.' <br />