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<br />003401 <br /> <br />Research Approach: Data Availability and Limitations <br /> <br />o Data with the areal coverage, spatial resolution and length of <br />record necessary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of seeding <br />opportunities do not exist. The conclusions of this study, <br />therefore, are tentative and subject to revision as additional data <br />become available. <br /> <br />o The best data available are interpolations of atmospheric soundings <br />computed for the winters of 1961-62 through 1973-74 by Dr. Owen Rhea <br />as part of his dissertation in Atmospheric Sciences at Colorado <br />State University. The interpolations were made from soundings taken <br />by the National Weather Service at two sites in Colorado and four <br />sites in bordering states. Rhea did not include earlier winters <br />because soundings were not taken at one of the sites prior to 1961. <br /> <br />o Since none of the winters for which these data are available were <br />extremely dry, conclusions could not be drawn about seeding <br />opportunity during very dry periods. Resources did not peonit <br />preparation of interpolations for 1976-77 and 1980-81, recent <br />winters of low snowpack. <br /> <br />o Use of interpolated soundings requires three assumptions whose <br />validity is difficult to deteonine: <br /> <br />1) that all storms can be detected by soundings taken only <br />twice each day, <br /> <br />2) that a - single sounding can adequately represent all air <br />about to enter the state, and <br /> <br />3) that "seedable" storms can be identified using criteria <br />based on statistical analysis of scientific experiments <br />previously conducted in the Climax area of Colorado. <br /> <br />2 <br />