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<br />~ <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />hail developing from new storm growth and weak updrafts are prevalent, rainfall stimulation <br />seeding can be highly productive over large areas using wing generators. It's likely under these <br />conditions the dynamic effect is markedly reduced, whereas, a static seeding effect is being <br />achieved causing the cloud's micro-physical characteristics to be altered by seeding. <br /> <br />There is another form of cloud system which has occasional important seeding potential <br />for producing precipitation in Kansas: the multiple-celled-convective system (MCCS). <br /> <br />MCCS cloud usually form as a cluster of small, wispy, weak air-mass type cloud bubbles <br />within a fairly small area---typically 10 - 30 miles in diameter. If one, or more, clouds grow <br />sufficiently and can merge with another, the resulting cloud often tends to enlarge and continue <br />growing, In chain reaction fashion this promotes more mergers of nearby clouds, thus continuing <br />to increase both cloud volume and intensity, etc. Such cloud systems eventually are capable of <br />producing precipitation over large areas and persist much longer than would otherwise be the <br />case under normal conditions, Initially, updrafts found within such a system often are embedded <br />and difficult to locate, however, once this cloud system grows to a certain size, updrafts generally <br />organize better and the resulting cloud becomes easier to continue seeding, Under the unseeded <br />natural condition, MCCS regions often become a "first echo" seen on radar, First echoes have a <br />high correlation to being the day's first severe storm. <br /> <br />Most of the important research on the dynamics of the multiple-celled-convective system <br />was done in the 1980s in West-Central Texas, Radar studies of Northwest Kansas clouds from <br />1972 to 1974 by Dr, Dean Bark found this area was likely to be a fertile breeding ground for <br />MCCS cloud development. Data comparisons to Western Kansas suggest Western Kansas may be <br />an even better area for similar clouds developing than was the research area in Texas. In earlier <br />years of the WKWMP scant attention was paid to those weak-appearing multiple-celled cloud <br />clusters until one had grown fairly large. Ifthose cloud systems had been inspected and treated in <br />their early stages instead of waiting to see whether they would grow_to become larger, most <br />likely greater success in rain stimulation and/or hail suppression would have occurred in them. <br />Today, however, we anticipate these smaller cloud clusters can develop into larger cloud systems <br />and will provide targets of opportunity to produce increased rainfall over large areas, or that these <br />could become regions of initial daily severe storm development. Flights are launched early when <br />such conditions arise. Spectacular results in rain enhancement appear to have occurred when <br />seeding similar cloud systems in the past. <br /> <br />We've identified one type of problem cloud on the WKWMP formed by elevated <br />convection, It has been with us forever, but until relatively recently it has not been identified as <br />such, nor widely recognized and considered as a type of "new-growth" cloud to be dealt with, <br />different from a pre-collapse new-growth feeder cloud. As far as this writer can determine, this <br />subject has not been well-studied nor well-reported on either in meteorological or conventional <br />weather modification circles. It is very likely there are different varieties of elevated convection- <br />generated clouds as well. The following hypothesis is from personal observation, pilot reports <br />and radar data---definitely needing further study and refinement: <br /> <br />12 <br />