95 2d affi" } COMMITTEE PRINT WEATHER MODIFICATION: PROGRAMS, PROBLEMS, POLICY, AND POTENTIAL Prepared at the Keqtiest of Hon. Howard W. Cannon, Chairman COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation r 95 S Congress I COMMITTEE PRINT 2d Session J WEATHER MODIFICATION: PROGRAMS, PROBLEMS, POLICY, AND POTENTIAL Prepared at the Request of Hox. Howard W. Cannon, Chairman COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE MAY 1978 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation U.S. government printing office 34-857 WASHINGTON : 1978 COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION HOWARD W. CANNON, Nevada, Chairman WARREN G. MAGNUSON, Washington RUSSELL B. LONG, Louisiana ERNEST F. HOLLINGS, South Carolina DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii ADLAI E. STEVENSON, Illinois WENDELL H. FORD, Kentucky JOHN A. DURKIN, New Hampshire EDWARD ZORINSKY, Nebraska DONALD W. RIEGLE, Jr., Michigan Aubrey L. Sarvis, Staff Director and Chief Counsel Edwin K. Hall, General Counsel Malcolm M. B. Sterrett, Minority Staff Director JAMES B. PEARSON, Kansas ROBERT P. GRIFFIN, Michigan TED STEVENS, Alaska BARRY GOLDWATER, Arizona BOB PACKWOOD, Oregon HARRISON H. SCHMITT, New Mexico JOHN C. DANFORTH, Missouri LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL U.S. Senate, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, November 15, 1978. To the members of the Committee on Commerce. Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate: I am pleased to transmit herewith for your information and use the following report on "Weather Modification: Programs, Problems, Policy, and Potential." The report was prepared at my request by the Congressional Re- search Service under the direction of Dr. Robert Morrison, Specialist in Earth Sciences, Science Policy Research Division. We thank Dr. Morrison and the others involved in the study for their extremely thorough and scholarly report. Substantial material on almost all areas of weather modification are included and the report will provide the committee with an excellent reference source for future delibera- tions on the subject. The completion of the report is particularly timely due to the up- coming recommendations expected from the Weather Modification Advisory Board and the Department of Commerce (as directed by Public Law 94-490) on the future Federal role in weather modification. James B. Pearson, Ranking minority member. (in) LETTER REQUESTING STUDY U.S. Senate, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Washington, D.C., July 30, 1976. Dr. Norman A. Beckman, Acting Director, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, W ashington, D.C. Dear Dr. Beckman: Weather modification, although a relatively young science, has over the years stimulated great interest within the scientific, commercial, governmental, and agricultural communities. Such responses are readily understandable. Weather-related disasters and hazards affect virtually all Americans and annually cause untold human suffering and loss of life and result in billions of dollars of eco- nomic loss to crops and other property. While weather modification projects have been operational for nearly 25 years and have been shown to have significant potential for preventing, diverting, moderat- ing, or ameliorating the adverse effects of such weather related disas- ters and hazards, I am greatly concerned regarding the lack of a coordinated Federal weather modification policy and a coordinated and comprehensive program for weather modification research and development. This fact is all the more disturbing in view of the mani- fest needs, and benefits, social and economic, that can be associated with weather modification activities. These deficiencies in our Federal orga- nizational structure have resulted in a less than optimal return on our investments in weather modification activities and a failure, with few exceptions, to recognize that much additional research and develop- ment needs to be carried out before weather modification becomes a truly operational tool. Reports and studies conducted by such diverse organizations as the National Academy of Sciences, the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere, the General Accounting Office, and the Domestic Council have highlighted the lack of a comprehensive Federal weather modification policy and research and development program. Hearings that I chaired in February of this year reinforced my con- cerns regarding the wisdom of our continued failure to implement a national policy on this very important issue. I am therefore requesting the Congressional Research Service to prepare a comprehensive report on weather modification. This report should include a review of the history and existing status of weather modification knowledge and technology; the legislative history of existing and proposed domestic legislation concerning weather mod- ification; socio-economic and legal problems presented by weather modification activities; a review and analysis of the existing local, State, Federal, and international weather modification organizational (V) VI structure: international implications of weather modification activi- ties: and a review and discussion of alternative U.S. and international weather modification policies and research and development programs. If you have any questions with respect to this request, please contact Mr. Gerry J. Kovach, Minority Staff Counsel of the Senate Commerce Committee. He has discussed this study with Mr. Robert E. Morrison and Mr. John Justus of the Science Policy Division, Congressional Research Service. Very truly yours, James B. Pearsox, U.S. Senator. LETTER OF SUBMITTAL The Library of Congress, congressional research service, Washington, D.C., June 19, 1978. Hon. James B. Pearson, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. Dear Senator Pearson: The enclosed report, entitled "Weather Modification: Programs, Problems, Policy, and Potential," has been prepared by the Congressional Research Service in response to your request. The study reviews the history, technology, activities, and a number of special aspects of the field of weather modification. Activities discussed are those of the Federal, State, and local governments, of private organizations, and of foreign nations. Consideration is given to international, legal, economic, and ecological aspects. There are also an introductory chapter which includes a summary of issues, a chapter discussing inadvertent weather and climate modification, and a chapter summarizing recommendations from major Federal policy studies. The study has been coordinated by Dr. Robert E. Morrison, Special- ist in Earth Sciences, Science Policy Research Division, who also prepared chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9 as well as the Summary and Conclusions. Mr. John R. Justus, Analyst in Earth Sciences, and Dr. James E. Mielke, Analyst in Marine and Earth Sciences, both of the Science Policy Research Division, contributed chapters 4 and 6, respectively. Chapter 10 was prepared by Mrs. Lois B. McHugh, Foreign Affairs Analyst, Foreign Affairs and National Defense Di- vision. Chapter 11 was written jointly by Mrs. Nancy Lee Jones, Legislative Attorney, and Mr. Daniel Hill Zaf ren, Specialist in Ameri- can Public Law, both of the American Law Division. Dr. Warren Viessman, Jr., Senior Specialist in Engineering and Public Works, contributed chapter 12; and Mr. William C. JolW, Analyst in En- vironmental Policy, Environment and Natural Resources Division, was responsible for chapter 13. In addition, appendixes C, F, Q, and R were assembled by Mrs. McHugh ; appendixes D and S were prepared by Mrs. Jones; and information in the remaining appendixes was collected by Dr. Morrison. I trust that this report will serve the needs of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation as well as those of other committees and individual Members of Congress who are concerned with weather modification. On behalf of the Congressional Research Service, I wish to express my appreciation for the opportunity to undertake this timely and worthwhile assignment. Sincerely, Gilbert Gtjde, Director. (VII) Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/weatificatOOunit CONTENTS Page Letter of transmittal in Letter requesting study v Letter of submittal vn Summary and conclusions xix Chapter 1 Introduction and summary of issues 1 Perspective 1 Situation 1 Advantages 3 Timeliness 5 Definitions and scope of report 7 Summary of issues in planned weather modification 9 Technological problems and issues 9 Governmental issues 12 The role of the Federal Government 12 Roles of State and local governments 14 Legal issues 15 Private rights in the clouds 15 Liability for weather modification 16 Interstate legal issues 17 International legal issues 17 Economic issues 18 Issues complicating economic analyses of weather modifica- tion 18 Weather modification and conflicting interests 19 Social issues 19 Social factors 20 Need for public education on weather modification 21 Decisionmaking 22 International issues 23 Ecological issues 24 Chapter 2 History of weather modification 25 Introduction 25 History of weather modification prior to 1946 26 Prescientific period 26 Early scientific period 27 Development of scientific fundamentals 32 Early cloud-seeding experiments 34 Weather modification since 1946 35 Chronology 35 Langmuir, Schaefer, and Vonnegut 37 Research projects since 1947 39 Project Cirrus 39 The Weather Bureau cloud phvsics project 41 The U.S. experiments of 1953-54 42 Arizona Mountain cumulus experiments 44 Project Whitetop 44 Climax experiments 45 Lightning suppression experiments 46 Fog dispersal research 46 Hurricane modification. 46 Hail suppression 46 Foreign weather modification research 47 Commercial operations 48 History of Federal activities, committees, policy studies, and reports 53 (IX) X Chapter 3 Page Technology of planned weather modification 55 Introduction 55 Assessment of the status of weather modification technology 56 Classification of weather modification technologies 61 Principles and status of weather modification technologies 62 Precipitation augmentation 64 Cumulus clouds 66 Cumulus modification experiments 67 Effectiveness of precipitation enhancement research and operations 69 Results achieved through cumulus modification 70 Recent advances in cumulus cloud modification 71 Orographic clouds and precipitation 71 Orographic precipitation modification 75 Orographic seeding experiments and seedability criteria 77 Operational orographic seeding projects 81 Results achieved through orographic precipitation modifi- cation 82 Hail suppression 84 The hail problem 84 Modification of hail 86 Hail seeding technologies 87 Evaluation of hail suppression technology 88 Surveys of hail suppression effectiveness 89 Conclusions from the TASH study 91 Dissipation of fog and stratus clouds 92 Cold fog modification 93 Warm fog modification 93 Lightning suppression 96 Lightning modification 98 Evaluation of lightning suppression technology 99 Modification of severe storms 101 Hurricanes 101 Generation and characteristics of hurricanes 104 Modification of hurricanes 108 Tornadoes 112 Modification of tornadoes 113 Technical problem areas in planned weather modification 115 Seeding technology 115 Evaluation of weather modification projects 118 Extended area effects of weather modification 124 Approaches to weather modification other than seeding 129 Research needs for the development of planned weather modification- 131 General considerations 131 Recommendations from the 1973 National Academv of Sciences study i 134 Recommendations of the Advanced Planning Group of NOAA__. 136 Summary of Federal research needs expressed by State officials. 138 Research recommendations of the AMS Committee on Weather Modification 139 Research recommendations related to extended area and time effects 143 Chapter 4 Inadvertent weather and climate modification 145 Introduction 145 Terminology 145 Climate 145 Climatic fluctuation and climatic change 146 Weather 146 Weather modification 146 Climate modification 146 Planned climate modification 147 Inadvertent climate modification 148 XI Page Background 149 Historical perspective 149 Understanding the causes of climatic change and variability 151 The concept of climatic change and variability 152 When and how do climatic changes occur 154 The facts about inadvertent weather and climate modification 156 Airborne particulate matter and atmospheric turbidity 156 Do more particles mean a warming or cooling? 157 Sources of atmospheric particulates: Natural vs. manmade.. 158 Atmospheric processes affected by particulates 159 The La Porte weather anomaly: Urban climate modification. 162 Carbon dioxide and water vapor 164 Increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration: What the record indicates 164 Predicting future atmospheric carbon dioxide levels 166 Sources and sinks for carbon dioxide 168 Atmospheric effects of increased carbon dioxide levels 169 Implications of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide con- centrations 169 Implications of a climatic warming 170 Carbon dioxide and future climate: The real climate vs. "model climate" 171 Ozone depletion 172 Concerns regarding ozone destruction 172 Action by the Government on the regulation of fluorocar- bons 175 Climatic effects of ozone depletion 176 Waste heat 177 The urban "Heat Island" 177 Albedo 179 Large-scale irrigation 180 Recapitulation 181 Issues in inadvertent weather and climate modification 184 Climatic barriers to long-term energy growth 184 Thoughts and reflections — Can we contemplate a fossil-fuel-free world? 185 Research needs and deficiencies 186 Chapter 5 Federal activities in weather modification 193 Overview of Federal activities..-- '— — 193 Legislative and congressional activities 194 Federal legislation on weather modification 194 Summary 194 The Advisory Committee on Weather Control 195 Direction to the National Science Foundation 196 Reporting of weather modification activities to the Federal Government 197 The National Weather Modification Policy Act of 1976 198 Congressional direction to the Bureau of Reclamation 201 Proposed Federal legislation on weather modification 203 Summary 203 Legislation proposed in the 94th Congress and the 95th Congress, 1st sessions 205 Other congressional activities 207 Resolutions on weather modification 207 Hearings 208 Studies and reports by congressional support agencies 209 Activities of the executive branch 209 Introduction 209 Institutional structure of the Federal weather modification program 210 Current status of Federal organization for weather modifica- tion 210 xn 3?a?e Federal structure; 1946-57 214 Federal structure; 1958-68 215 Federal structure; 1968-77 216 Future Federal organization for weather modification 216 Coordination and advisory mechanisms for Federal weather modification programs 221 Introduction 221 The Interdepartmental Committee for Atmospheric Sciences (ICAS) 222 The National Academv of Sciences/Committee on At- mospheric Sciences (N AS/CAS) 226 The National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmos- phere (NACOA) 227 Other coordination and advisory mechanisms 228 Weather Modification Advisory Board 231 Weather modification activities reporting program 232 Background and regulations 232 Reporting of Federal activities 233 Summary reports on U.S. weather modification activities 233 Federal studies and reports on weather modification 234 Introduction 234 Studies of the early 1950's 235 Advisory Committee on Weather Control 236 National Academy of Sciences studies 237 Studies bv the Interdepartmental Committee for Atmos- pheric Sciences (ICAS) 238 Domestic Council study 239 Policy and planning reports produced by Federal agencies 239 Federal programs in weather modification 241 Introduction and funding summaries 241 Department of the Interior 246 Introduction 246 Project Skywater; general discussion 247 The Colorado River Basin Pilot Project (CRBPP) 254 The High Plains Cooperative Program (HIPLFX) 258 The Sierra Cooperative Pilot Project (SCPP) 263 Drought mitigation assistance 266 National Science Foundation 267 Introduction and general 267 Weather hazard mitigation 274 Weather modification technology development 282 Inadvertent weather modification 283 Societal utilization activities 287 Agricultural weather modification 288 Department of Commerce 290 Introduction and general discussion 290 The Florida Area Cumulus Experiment (FACE) 292 Project Stormfurv 296 Research Facilities Center (RFC) 300 Global Monitoring for Climatic Change (GMCC) 301 Lightning suppression 302 Modification of extratropical severe storms 302 Department of Defense 303 Introduction 303 Air Force fog dispersal operations 303 Army research and development 304 Navy research and development 304 Air Force research and development 305 Overseas operations 307 Department of Transportation 308 Department of Agriculture 309 Department of Energy 310 XIII Chapter 6 Review of recommendations for a national program in weather modifica- Page tion 313 Introduction ^Jy Summaries of major weather modification reports 314 Final report of the Advisory Committee on Weather Control — 314 Weather and climate modification: Report of the Special Com- mission on Weather Modification 315 Weather and climate modification: Problems and prospects 317 A recommended national program in weather modification 318 A national program for accelerating progress in weather modifica- tion 320 Weather and climate modification: Problems and progress 321 Annual reports to the President and Congress by NACOA 323 Need for a national weather modification research program 324 The Federal role in weather modification 325 Trends and analysis 326 Chapter 7 State and local activities in weather modification 331 Overview of State weather modification activities 331 Introduction 331 North American Interstate Weather Modification Council 333 Survey and summary of State interests and activities in weather modification 340 State contacts for information on weather modification activities. 343 Non-Federal U.S. weather modification activities 343 Analysis of calendar year 1975 projects 344 Preliminary analysis of projects for calendar years 1976-77_ 347 General discussion of local and regional weather modification policy activities „ 348 Weather modification activities within particular States 351 California 352 State weather modification law and regulations 352 Weather modification projects 353 State-sponsored emergency projects 356 Illinois 358 Illinois weather modification law and its administration 358 Operational projects 359 Research activities 360 Kansas 361 Kansas Weather Modification Act 361 Research activities 362 Operational activities 364 Emergenc}- Drought Act of 1977 364 North Dakota 365 Weather modification law and administration of regulations- 365 Authority and organization for local projects 370 North Dakota operational projects in 1975 and 1976 371 South Dakota 376 Utah 381 Washington 382 Chapter 8 Private activities in weather modification 385 Introduction 385 Commercial weather modifiers 386 Scope and significance of contract activities 386 Summary of contract services 386 Evaluation and research by commercial firms 388 Participation in Federal research programs 389 Weather modification organizations 389 Professional organizations 389 Weather Modification Association 390 American Meteorological Society 395 XIV Page Opposition to weather modification 399 General discussion 399 Opposition to the seeding project above Hungry Horse Dam. 399 Tri-State Natural Weather Association 400 Citizens for the Preservation of Natural Resources 402 Chapter 9 Foreign'activities in weather modification 405 Introduction 405 World Meteorological Organization register of weather modification projects 408 Description of weather modification activities in some foreign nations. 412 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics 412 Overview of projects in the U.S.S.R 412 Summary of weather modification and related atmospheric research in the U.S.S.R 413 Israel 415 Australia 416 Canada 418 Mexico 419 People's Republic of China 420 Kenya 421 Republic of South Africa 422 Rhodesia 423 India 423 The Swiss hail experiment 424 Chapter 10 International aspects of weather modification 427 Introduction 427 Convention on the prohibition of military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques 429 Development of the treaty 429 Criticism of the convention 431 Activities since the United Nations approval of the convention.. 432 Activities of the World Meteorological Organization in weather modification 433 Precipitation enhancement program (PEP) 434 Other WMO activities in weather modification 436 Registration and reporting of weather modification projects. 436 WMO conferences on weather modification 436 Typhoon and serious storm modification 437 Global atmospheric research programme 437 Legal aspects of weather modification 437 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment 438 Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment 438 Action Plan for the Human Environment 438 Earthwatch Program 439 Study of Man's Impact on Climate 439 Other international activities 440 United States/Canadian agreement 440 North American Interstate Weather Modification Council 440 Congressional activities 441 Weather modification as a weapon of war 441 Senate Resolution 71, prohibiting environmental modification as a weapon of war 441 Congressional activities related to hostile use of weather modification, 1974-76 442 Other Congressional actions relating to weather modification 443 Senate Concurrent Resolution 67 — U.S. participation in the world weather program 443 National Weather Modification Policy Act of 1976 444 Senate Resolution 49 444 XV Page U.S. foreign policy 444 Various executive branch proposals 445 National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere 447 Activities in 1977 448 Chapter 11 Legal aspects of weather modification 449 Domestic 449 Private rights in the clouds 449 Liability for weather modification 453 Defenses which may be raised against claims of liability 456 Interstate allocation of atmospheric water 457 Methods of controlling weather modification 459 Congressional authority under the Constitution to regulate or license weather modification activities 461 Federalism 461 The commerce clause 461 The commerce clause generally 462 The commerce clause and the regulation of navigable waters 463 Limitations on the commerce power 464 Fiscal powers 465 War powers 466 Property power 466 Treaty power 467 Conclusion 467 International 468 Certain hostile uses of weather modification are prohibited 471 Nations are responsible for environmental conduct which causes injury or damage in or to other nations 471 Nations are liable for injuries sustained by aliens within their territory caused by tortuous conduct in violation of inter- national law 472 Nations or their citizens may be liable for injury and damage they caused to citizens of another nation occurring in that nation 472 Chapter 12 Economic aspects of weather modification 475 Introduction 475 Economic setting 476 Economic aspects of weather modification procedures 477 Fog dispersal 477 Precipitation augmentation 478 Orographic cloud seeding 478 Convective cloud seeding 478 Precipitation augmentation and energy considerations 479 Hail suppression 480 Lightning suppression and reduction in storm damage 480 Analytic methods for economic analysis 481 Case studies of the economics of weather modification 482 Hungry Horse Area, Montana 482 Connecticut River basin 483 State of Illinois 483 Nine-county Southeastern Crop Reporting District, South Dakota, 483 Colorado River 484 Conclusions 486 Chapter 13 Ecological effects of weather modification 487 Introduction 487 Modification of weather and climate 487 Ecology and ecological systems — 487 Knowledge of ecological implications of applied weather modifi- cation technologies 488 XVI Page Important variables 490 Temporal considerations 491 Season of modification effort 491 Duration of effort: Short- v. long-term 491 Regularity of modification effort 491 Ecosystem type 492 Aquatic v. terrestrial systems 492 Cultivated v. natural systems 492 Arid v. humid systems 492 Cumulative and synergistic effects 492 Effects of silver iodide* 493 Deliberate weather modification 496 Precipitation enhancement 496 Increased rainfall 496 Snowpack augmentation 497 Severe storm abatement 498 Fog dispersal 499 Hail suppression 499 Alteration or arrest of lightning discharges 499 Inadvertent weather modification 499 Extra-area effects 499 Long-term, climatic, and global implications 500 Summary and conclusions 501 Appendixes A. Statement on weather modification in Congressional Record of June 17, 1975, by Congressman Gilbert Gude, containing White House statement on Federal weather modification policy 503 B. Department of Defense statement on position on weather modification. 509 C. Text of United Nations Convention on the prohibition of military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques 510 D. State statutes concerning weather modification 514 Arizona 515 California 516 Colorado 520 Connecticut 528 Florida 529 Hawaii 531 Idaho 531 Illinois 533 Iowa 541 Kansas 543 Louisiana 549 Minnesota 550 Montana 554 Nebraska 557 Nevada 565 New Hampshire 571 New Mexico 571 New York 573 North Dakota 573 Oklahoma 584 Oregon 59 1 Pennsylvania 599 South* Dakota 604 Texas 600 Utah 612 Washington 613 West Virginia 618 Wisconsin 622 Wyoming 622 E. List of State contacts for further information on weather modification activities within the States 625 F. Agreement on exchange of information on weather modification between the United States of America and Canada 627 XVII G. Weather modification activities in the United States during calendar Pa?e year 1975 630 H. Selected bibliography of publications in weather modification 641 I. Public laws dealing specifically with weather modification 640 J. Summary of language in congressional documents supporting public works appropriations for the Bureau of Reclamation's atmospheric water resources program 655 K. Membership and charter of the U.S. Department of Commerce Weather Modification Advisory Board 660 L. Rules and regulations and required forms for submitting information on weather modification activities to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, in accordance with requirements of Public Law 92-205 662 M. Selected State rules and regulations for the administration of State weather modification statutes 676 Illinois 676 Kansas 6 S3 North Dakota 691 Utah 707 Washington 712 N. Documents of the Weather Modification Association 717 O. Policy statement of the American Meteorological Society on purposeful and inadvertent modification of weather and climate 722 P. Reporting agencies of member countries and questionnaire circulated to receive weather modification information from members of the World Meteorological Organization 724 Q. Report of the World Meteorological Organization/ United Nations Environment programme informal meeting on legal aspects of weather modification 727 R. Text of Senate Resolution 71; considered, amended, and agreed to July 11, 1973 734 S. Reported cases on weather modification 740 T. Glossary of selected terms in weather modification 741 34-857—79 2 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Weather modification is generally considered to be the deliberate effort to improve atmospheric conditions for beneficial human pur- poses — to augment water supplies through enhanced precipitation or to reduce economic losses, property damages, and deaths through mitigation of adverse effects of hail, lightning, fog, and severe storms. Not all weather modification activities, however, have been or can be designed to benefit everyone, and some intentional operations have been used, or are perceived to have been used, as a weapon of war to impede the mobility or tactical readiness of an enemy. Further- more, environmental change is also effected unintentionally and with- out any purpose at all, as man inadvertently modifies the weather and climate, whether for better or worse scientists are not certain, through activities such as clearing large tracts of land, building urban areas, and combustion of fossil fuels. Historically, there have been attempts, often nonscientific or pseudo- scientific at best, to change the weather for man's benefit. Until the 20th century, however, the scientific basis for such activities was meager, with most of our current understanding of cloud physics and precipitation processes beginning to unfold during the 1930's. The modern period in weather modification is about three decades old, dat- ing from events in 1946, when Schaefer and Langmuir of the General Electric Co. demonstrated that a cloud of supercooled water droplets could be transformed into ice crystals when seeded with dry ice. Soon afterward it was discovered that fine particles of pure silver iodide, with crystal structure similar to that of ice, were effective artificial ice nuclei, and that seeding clouds with such particles could produce ice crystals at temperatures just below freezing. Silver iodide remains the most often used material in modern "cloud seeding." By the 1950's, many experimental and operational weather modifi- cation projects were underway; however, these early attempts to augment precipitation or to alter severe storm effects were often in- conclusive or ineffective, owing to improper experimental design, lack of evaluation schemes, and the primitive state of the technology. Through research programs over the past two decades, including laboratory studies and field experiments, understanding of atmos- pheric processes essential to improved weather modification tech- nology has been advanced. Sophisticated evaluation schemes have been developed, using elaborate statistical tools; there has also been im- provement in measuring instruments and weather radar systems ; and simulation of weather processes using numerical models and high speed computers has provided further insights. Meanwhile, commer- cial weather modifiers, whose number decreased dramatically along with the total area of the United States covered by their operations after the initial surge of the 1950 era, have grown in respectability and competence, and their operations have incorporated improvements as they benefited from their accumulated experience and from the re- (XIX) XX suits of research projects. Since such operations are designed for prac- tical results, such as increased precipitation or reduced hail, however, the sophisticated evaluation procedures now used in most research projects are most often not used, so that the effectiveness of the opera- tions is frequently difficult to assess. Weather modification is at best an emerging technology. Progress in development of the technology over the past 30 years has been slow, although there has been an increased awareness of the complex nature of atmospheric processes and a steady improvement in basic under- standing of those processes which underlie attempts at deliberate modi- fication of weather phenomena. Though most cloud-seeding practices are based on a common theory and form the basis for a number of seed- ing objectives, there are really a series of weather modification technologies, each tailored to altering a particular atmospheric pheno- menon and each having reached a different state of development and operational usefulness. For example, cold fog clearing is now consid- ered to be operational, while, at the other extreme, the abatement of severe storms such as hurricanes remains in the initial research phase. Development progress for each of these technologies appears to be much less a function of research effort expended than a dependence on the fundamental atmospheric processes and the ease by which they can be altered. There continues to be obvious need for further research and development to refine those few techniques for which there has been some success and to advance technology where progress has been slow or at a virtual standstill. The following summary provides a reasonably accurate assessment of the current status of weather modification technology : 1. The only routine operational projects are for clearing cold fog. Research on warm fog has yielded some useful knowledge and good models, but the resulting technologies are so costly that they are usable mainly for military purposes and very busy airports. 2. Several longrunning efforts to increase winter snowpack by seed- ing clouds in the mountains suggest that precipitation can be increased by some 15 percent over what would have happened "naturally." 3. A decade and a half of experience with seeding winter clouds on the U.S. west coast and in Israel, and summer clouds in Florida, also suggest a 10- to 15-percent increase over "natural" rainfall. Hypotheses and techniques from the work in one area are not directly transferable to other areas, but will be helpful in designing comparable experiments with broadly similar cloud systems. 4. Numerous efforts to increase rain by seeding summer clouds in the central and western parts of the United States have left many questions unanswered. A major experiment to try to answer them — for the High Plains area — is now in its early stages. 5. It is scientifically possible to open holes in wintertime cloud layers by seeding them. Increasing sunshine and decreasing energy consmp- tion may be especially relevant in the northeastern quadrant of the United States. 0. Some $10 million is spent by private and local public sponsors for cloud-seeding efforts, but these projects arc not designed as scientific experiments and it is difficult to say for sure that operational cloud seeding causes the claimed results. XXI 7. Knowledge about hurricanes is improving with good models of their behavior. But the experience in modifying that behavior is primi- tive so far. It is inherently difficult to find enough test cases, especially since experimentation on typhoons in the Western Pacific has been blocked for the time being by international political objections. 8. Although the Soviets and some U.S. private operators claim some success in suppressing hail by seeding clouds, our understanding of the physical processes that create hail is still weak. The one major U.S. held experiment increased our understanding of severe storms, but otherwise proved mostly the dimensions of what we do not yet know. 9. There have been many efforts to suppress lightning by seeding thunderstorms. Our knowledge of the processes involved is fair, but the technology is still far from demonstrated, and the U.S. Forest Service has recently abandoned further lightning experiments. 1 Modification processes may also be initiated or triggered inadvert- ently rather than purposefully, and the possibility exists that society may be changing the climate through its own actions by pushing on ceitain leverage points. Inadvertently, man is already causing measur- able variations on the local scale. Artificial climatic effects have been observed and documented on local and regional scales, particularly in and downwind of heavily populated industrial areas where waste heat, particulate pollution and altered ground surface characteristics are primarily responsible for the perceived climate modification. The cli- mate in and near large cities, for example, is warmer, the daily range of temperature is less, and annual precipitation is greater than if the cities had neA^er been built. Although not verifiable at present, the time may not be far off when human activities will result in measurable large-scale changes in weather and climate of more than passing sig- nificance. It is important to appreciate the fact that the role of man at this global level is still controversial, and existing models of the gen- eral circulation are not yet capable of testing the effects in a conclusive manner. Nevertheless, a growing fraction of current evidence does point to the possibility of unprecedented impact on the global climate by hu- man activities, albeit the effects may be occurring below the threshold where they could be statistically detected relative to the record of nat- ural fluctuations and. therefore, could be almost imperceptible amid the ubiquitous variability of climate. But while the degree of influence on world climate may as yet be too small to detect against the back- ground of natural variations and although mathematical models of climatic change are still imperfect, significant global effects in the future are inferred if the rates of growth of industry and population persist. For over 30 years both legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government have been involved in a number of aspects of weather modification. Since 1947 about 110 weather modification bills pertaining to research support, operations, grants, policy studies, regu- lations, liabilities, activity reporting, establishment of panels and com- mittees, and international concerns have been introduced in the Con- 1 Weather Modification Advisory Board. "A U.S. Policy to Enhance the Atmospheric Environment," Oct. 21, 1977. In testimony by Harlan Cleveland. Weather modification. Hearing before the Subcommittee on the Environment and the Atmosphere, Committee on Science and Technology. U.S. House of Representatives. 93th Cong., 1st sess., Oct. 26, 1977, Washington, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977. pp. 28-30. XXII gress. Resolutions, mostly concerned with using weather modification ns a weapon and promotion of a United Nations treaty banning such activities, have also been introduced in both houses of the Congress ; one such resolution was passed by the Senate. Six public laws specifically dealing with weather modification have been enacted since 1953, and others have included provisions which are in some way relevant to weather modification. Federal weather modi- fication legislation has dealt primarily with three aspects — research program authorization and direction, collection and reporting of in- formation on weather modification activities, and the commissioning of major policy studies. In addition to direction through authorizing legislation, the Congress initiated one major Federal research pro- gram through a write-in to an appropriations bill; this program regularly receives support through additional appropriations beyond recommended OMB funding levels. There are two Federal laws currently in effect which are specifically concerned with weather modification. Public Law 92-205, of Decem- ber 18, 1971, and its amendments requires the reporting of all non- Federal activities to the Secretary of Commerce and publication "from time to time" of summaries of such activities by the Secretary of Commerce. 2 The National Weather Modification Policy Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-490), enacted October 13, 1976, directed the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a major study on weather modification and to submit a report containing a recommended Federal policy and Fed- eral research program on w T eather modification. The Secretary ap- pointed a non-Government Weather Modification Advisory Board to conduct the mandated study, the report on which is to be submitted to the Secretary for her review and comment and subsequent trans- mittal to the President and the Congress during 1978. It is expected that, following receipt of the aforementioned report, the Congress will consider legislation on Federal weather modification policy, presuma- bly during the 96th Congress. Congressional interest in weather modification has also been mani- fested in a number of hearings on various bills, in oversight hearings on pertinent ongoing Federal agency programs, in consideration of some 22 resolutions having to do with weather modification, and in commissioning studies on the subject by congressional support agencies. The principal involvement in weather modification of the Federal Government has been through the research and development programs of the several Federal departments and agencies. Although Federal research programs can be traced from at least the period of World War II, the programs of most agencies other than the Defense Depart- ment were not begun until the 1950's and 1960's. These research and development programs have been sponsored at various times by at least eight departments and independent agencies — including the De- partments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Transportation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). In fiscal year 2 Although Federal agencies were excluded from the requirements of this not. upon Tnutu.il agreement, the agencies also submit information on their weather mollification projects to tlie Secretary of Commerce, so that there is a single repository for information on nil weather modification activities conducted within the United States. XXIII 1978 six agency programs were reported, those of Transportation and NASA having been phased out, while that of Agriculture was severely curtailed. Total funding for Federal weather modification research in fiscal year 1978 is estimated at about $17 million, a decline from the highest funding level of $20 million reached in fiscal year 1976. The largest programs are those of the Departments of Interior and Commerce and of the NSF. The NSF has supported weather modification research over a broad spectrum for two decades, although its fiscal year 1978 funding was reduced by more than 50 percent, and it is not clear that more than the very basic atmospheric science supportive of weather modification will be sponsored hereafter by the Foundation. The present structure of Federal organization for weather modifi- cation research activities is characterized essentially by the mission- oriented approach, whereby each of the agencies conducts its own program in accordance with broad agency goals or under specific direc- tions from the Congress or the Executive. Programs have been loosely coordinated through various independent arrangements and/or advi- sory panels and particularly through the Interdepartmental Commit- tee for Atmospheric Sciences (ICAS). The ICAS, established in 1959 by the former Federal Council for Science and Technology, provides advice on matters related to atmospheric science in general and has also been the principal coordinating mechanism for Federal research in weather modification. In 1958 the National Science Foundation was designated lead agency for Federal weather modification research by Public Law 85-510, a role which it maintained until 1968, when Public Law 90-407 removed this responsibility from NSF. No further action was taken to name a lead agency, although there have been numerous recommendations to designate such a lead agency, and several bills introduced in the Con- gress would have named either the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce in that role. During the 10-year period from 1958 to 1968 the NSF promoted a vigorous research program through grants to various research organizations, established an Advisory Panel for Weather Modification, and published a series of 10 annual reports on weather modification activities in the United States. Since 1968 there has been a lapse in Federal weather modification policy and in the Federal structure for research programs, although, after a hiatus of over 3 years, the responsibility for collecting and disseminat- ing information on weather modification activities was assigned to the Commerce Department in 1971. An important consideration of any future weather modification legislation will probably be the organiza- tional structure of the Federal research program and that for admin- istration of other related functions which may be the responsibility of the Federal Government. Options include a continuation of the present mission-oriented approach with coordination through the ICAS or a similar interagency body, redesignation of a lead agency with some autonomy remaining with the several agencies, or creation of a single agency with control of all funding and all research responsibilities. The latter could be an independent agency or part of a larger depart- ment ; it would presumably also administer other aspects of Federal weather modification responsibilities, such as reporting of activities, XXIV regulation and licensing, and monitoring and evaluation of operations, if a n}' or all of these functions should become or continue to be services performed at the Federal level. In addition to specific research programs sponsored bv Federal agen- cies, there are other functions related to weather modification which are performed in several places in the executive branch. Various Fed- eral advisory panels and committees and their staffs — established to conduct in-depth studies and prepare comprehensive reports, to pro- vide advice and recommendations, or to coordinate Federal weather modification programs — have been housed and supported within exec- utive departments, agencies, or offices. The program whereby Federal and non-Federal U.S. weather modification activities are reported to the Government is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmos- pheric Administration (NOAA) within the Commerce Department. The State Department negotiates agreements with other nations which might be affected by U.S. experiments and has arranged for Federal agencies and other U.S. investigators to participate in international meteorological projects, including those in weather modification. In the United Nations, the United States has been active in promoting the adoption of a treaty banning weather modification as a military weapon. In accordance with the mandates of several public laws or self-ini- tiated bv the agencies or interagency committees, the executive branch of the Federal Government has undertaken a number of major weather modification policy studies over the past 25 years. Each of the com- pleted major studies was followed by a report which included findings and recommendations. The most recent study is the one noted earlier that is being conducted by the Weather Modification Advisory Board on behalf of the Secretarv of Commerce, pursuant to requirements of the National Weather Modification Policy Act of 1976. Nearly all previous studies emphasized the needs for designation of a lead agency, increased basic meteorological research, increased funding, improve- ment of support and cooperation from agencies, and consideration of legal, socioeconomic, environmental, and international aspects. Other recommendations have included improvement of program evaluation, studv of inadvertent effects, increased regulation of activities, and a number of specific research projects. Although some of the recom- mended activities have been undertaken, many have not resulted in specific actions to date. Almost invariably it was pointed out in the studies that considerable progress would result from increased fund- ing. Although funding for weather modification research has increased over t he past 20 years, most funding recommendations have been for considerably higher levels than those provided. Since fiscal year 1976, the total Federal research funding for weather modification research hn=. in fact, decreased. Most States in the Nation have some official interest in weather modification ; 29 of them have some form of law which relates to such activities, usually concerned with various facets of regulation or con- trol of operations within the Slate and sometimes pertaining to au- thorization for funding research and/or operations at the State or local level. A State's weather modification law usually reflects its gen- eral policy toward weather modification; some State laws tend to en- XXV courage development and use of the technology, while others dis- courage such activities. The current legal regime regulating weather modification has been developed by the States rather than the Federal Government, except in the areas of research support, commissioning studies, and requiring reporting of activities. The various regulatory and management func- tions which the States perform include: (1) issuance, renewal, sus- pension, and revocation of licenses and permits; (2) monitoring and collecting of information on activities through requirements to main- tain records, submission of periodic activity reports, and inspection of premises and equipment; (3) funding and managing of State or locally organized operational and/or research programs ; (4) evalua- tion and advisory services to locally organized public and private op- erational programs within the State; and (5) miscellaneous admin- istrative activities, including the organization and operation of State agencies and boards which are charged with carrying out statutory responsibilities. Administration of the regulatory and managerial re- sponsibilities pertaining to weather modification within the States is accomplished through an assortment of institutional structures, in- cluding departments of water or natural resources, commissions, and special governing or advisory groups. Often there is a combination of two or more of these agencies or groups in a State, separating func- tions of pure administration from those of appeals, permitting, or ad- visory services. Involvement in weather modification operational and research pro- grams varies from State to State. Some support research only, while others fund and operate both research and operational programs. In some cases funding only is provided to localities, usually at the county level, where operational programs have been established. The recent 1976-77 drought led some Western States to initiate emergency cloud- seeding programs as one means of augmenting diminishing water sup- plies. Research conducted by atmospheric and other scientists at State universities or other research agencies may be supported in part with State funds but is often funded by one of the major Federal weather modification programs, such as that of the Bureau of Reclamation or the National Science Foundation. In a few cases. States contribute funds to a Federal research project which is conducted jointly with the States and partly within their borders. In 1975, 1976, and 1977, respectively, there were 58, 61, and 88 non- federally supported weather modification projects, nearly all opera- tional, conducted throughout the United States. These projects were sponsored by community associations, airlines, utilities, private in- terests, municipal districts, cities, and States. Eighty-five percent of all projects in the United States during 1975 were carried out west of Kansas City, with the largest number in California. In that State there were 11 proipets in each of the vears 1975 and 1976, and 20 projects during 1977. The majority of these operational projects were designed to increase precipitation; others were intended for sup- pression of hail or dispersal of fogs, the latter principally at airports. In most instances, the principal beneficiaries of weather modification are the local or regional users, who include farmers and ranchers, weather-related industries, municipalities, airports, and utilities — XXVI those individuals and groups whose economic well-being and whose lives and property are directly subject to adverse consequences of drought or other severe weather. It is at the local level where the need to engage in weather modification is most keenly perceived and also where possible negative effects from such activities are most apparent to some sectors of the population. It follows that both the greatest sup- port and the strongest opposition to weather modification projects are focussed at the local level. The popularity of a particular project and the degree of controversy surrounding it are frequently determined by the extent to which local citizens and local organizations have had a voice in the control or funding of the project. At the local level, deci- sions to implement or to withdraw from a project can most often be made with minimum social stress. Indeed, studies have shown that most people are of the opinion that local residents or local government offi- cials should make decisions on whether or not to use weather modifica- tion technology in a given situation. Many of the operational weather modification services provided for private groups and governmental bodies within the States are carried out under contract by commercial firms who have developed expertise in a broad range of capabilities or who specialize in particular services essential to both operational or research projects. Contracts may cover only one season of the year, but a number of them are renewed an- nually, with target areas ranging from a few hundred to a few thou- sand square miles. In 197G, 6 of the 10 major companies having substantial numbers of contracts received about $2.7 million for op- erations in the United States, and a few of these companies also had contracts overseas. Owing to increased demand for emergency pro- grams during the recent drought, it is estimated that 1977 contracts totaled about $3.5 million. The initial role of the private weather modification operators was to sustain activities during the early years, when there was often heated scientific controversy with other meteorologists over the efficacy of cloud seeding. Later, their operations provided a valuable data base which permitted the early evaluation of seeding efforts and estimates of potential prospects for the technology, meanwhile growing in com- petence and public respect. Today, more often than not, they work hand in hand with researchers and, in fact, they often participate in research projects, contributing much of their knowhow acquired through their unique experiences. Important among private institutions concerned with weather modi- fication are the professional organizations of which research and op- erational weather modifiers and other interested meteorologists are members. These include the American Meteorological Society, the Weather Modifical ion Association, and the Irrigation and Drainage Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Through the meetings and publications of these organizations the scientific, tech- nical, and legal problems and findings on weather modification are aired and discussed. These groups also address other matters such as statements of weather modification policy, opinions on pending legis- lation, social implieations. and professional standards and certifica- tion. Tn addition, the North American Interstate Weather Modifica- tion Council is an organizai ion whose membership consists of govern- XXVII ments of U.S. States and Canadian Provinces and the Government of Mexico, which serves as a forum for interstate coordination and ex- change of information on weather modification. Weather modification is often controversial, and both formal and informal opposition groups have been organized in various sections of the country. Reasons for such opposition are varied and are based on both real and perceived adverse consequences from weather modifi- cation. Sometimes with little or no rational basis there are charges by these groups that otherwise unexplained and usually unpleasant weather- related events are linked to cloud seeding. There are also cases where some farmers are economically disadvantaged through receiving more, or less than optimum rainfall for their particular crops, when artificial inducement of such conditions may have indeed been planned to benefit those growing different crops with different moisture re- quirements. Opposition groups are often formed to protect the legiti- mate rights of farmers under such circumstances. While the United States is the apparent leader in weather modifi- cation research and operations, other countries have also been active. Information on foreign weather modification activities is not uni- formly documented and is not always available. In an attempt to assemble uniform weather modification activities information of its member nations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1975 instigated a system of reporting and of maintaining a register on such activities. Under this arrangement 25 nations reported weather modification projects during 1976, and 16 countries provided similar information in 1975. The largest weather modification effort outside the United States is in the Soviet Union, where there are both a con- tinuing research program and an expanding operational program. The latter is primarily a program designed to reduce crop damage from hail, the largest such effort in the world, covering about 5 million hectares (15 million acres) in 1976. Other countries with weather modi- fication programs of some note include Canada, Israel, Mexico, and the People's Republic of China. Projects in Rhodesia and the Republic of South Africa are not reported through the WMO register since these countries are not WMO member nations. Recent years have seen increased international awareness of the potential benefits and possible risks of weather modification technology and increased international efforts to control such activities. The major efforts of the international community in this area are to encourage and maintain the high level of cooperation which currently exists in weather prediction and research and to insure that man's new abilities will be used for peaceful purposes. There has been exchange of ideas on weather modification through international conferences and through more informal exchanges of scientists and research documents. As with many scientific disciplines, however, the problems arising from use of and experiments with weather modification are not just scientific in nature, but are political problems as well. In addition to the problems of potential damage to countries through commercial or experimental weather modification activities, another growing area of concern is that weather modification will be used for hostile purposes and that the future will bring weather warfare be- tween nations. The United States has already been involved in one XXVIII such instance during the Vietnam war when attempts were made to impede traffic by increasing rainfall during the monsoon season. In the future, even the perception that weather modification techniques are available or in use could lead to an increase in international tensions. Natural drought in a region, or any other natural disaster will be suspect or blamed on an enemy. In light of these problems the international community has made scattered attempts both to further the study of weather and its modifi- cation and to insure the peaceful use of this new technology. One such attempt was the development of the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques, which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations and opened for signature on May 18. 19TT, at which time it was signed by the United States and 33 other nations (though it has not yet been submitted to the U.S. Senate for ratification) . Another exam- ple of promotion of peaceful use of weather modification is the Pre- cipitation Enhancement Program, sponsored by the WMQ, whose aim is to plan, set up, and carry out an international, scientifically con- trolled precipitation experiment in a semiarid region of the world under conditions where the chances are optimal for increasing pre- cipitation in sufficient amounts to produce economic benefits. The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in June 1972 in Stockholm, has been the pivotal point in much recent international environmental activity. It too has been an important catalyst in international activities relating to weather modification through portions of its "Declaration," its "Action Plan for the Human Environment," its "Earthwatch Program," and its "Study of Man's Impact on Climate." Legal issues in weather modification are complex and unsettled. They can be considered in at least four broad categories : private rights in the clouds, liability for weather modification, interstate legal issues, and international legal issues. Since the body of law on weather modi- fication is slight, existing case law offers few guidelines to determine these issues. Regarding the issue of private rights in the clouds, there is no general statutory determination of ownership of atmospheric water, so it is often necessary to use analogies to some general common law doctrines pertaining to water distribution, although each such doctrine has its own disadvantages when applied to weather modifica- tion. Some State laws reserve ownership or right to use atmospheric water to the State. Issues of liability for damage may arise when drought, flooding, or other severe weal her phenomena occur following attempts to modify the weather. Such issues include causation, nuisance, strict liability, trespass, negligence, and charges of pollution of the air and water through introduction of artificial nucleants. Statutes of 10 States dis- cuss weather modification liability: however, there is much variation among the specific provisions of the laws in those States. Before a case can be made for liability based on causation, it must be pro\en that the adverse weather conditions were indeed induced by the wen: r modifier; but, in fact, no one lias ever been able to establish causation of damages through such activities in view of the scientific uncer- tainties of weather modification. XXIX Significant issues may arise when weather modification activities conducted in one State affect another State as well. There may be, for example, the claim that seeding in one State has removed from the clouds water that should have fallen in an adjacent State or that excessive flooding resulted from cloud seeding in a State upwind. Operation of cloud-seeding equipment near the border of one State may also violate local or State regulations or prohibitions of such operations in that State. There have been some attempts to resolve these and other issues through specific legislation in some States and through informal bilateral agreements. While no formal compacts currently exist, some compacts allocating waters in interstate streams may be applicable. Because atmospheric processes operate independent of national borders, weather modification is inherently of international concern, and. international legal issues have similarities to domestic interstate activities and dangers. Whereas domestic weather modification law is confused and unsettled, international law in this area is barely in the formative stage. In time, ramifications of weather modification may lead to major international controversy. Whereas the potential for long-term economic gains through weather modification cannot be denied, current economic analyses are tenuous in view of present uncertainty of the technology and the complex nature of attendant legal and economic problems. Economic evaluation of weather modification activities has therefore been limited to special, localized cases, such as the dispersal of cold fog at airports, where benefit-cost ratios greater than 5 to 1 have been realized through sav- ings in delayed or diverted traffic. It has also been estimated, on the basis of a 15-percent increase in snowpack through seeding orographic clouds, that about 2 million additional acre-feet of water per year could be produced in the Colorado River Basin, at a cost of about $1.50 per acre-foot. Costs of most weather modification operations are generally small in relation to other costs in agriculture, for example, and are normally l>elieved to be only a fraction of the benefits which could be achieved from successful operations. However, if all the benefits and all the costs are considered, benefit-cost ratios may be diminished. While direct co«ts and benefits from weather modification are reasonably apparent, in- direct costs and benefits are elusive and require further study of sociological, legal, and ecological implications. There are numerous cases of both real and perceived economic losses which one or more sectors of the public may suffer while another group is seeking economic advantage through some form of weather modification. Overall benefits from weather modification are accord- ingly reduced when net gains are determined from such instances of mixed economic advantages and disadvantages. In fact, when mecha- nisms are established for compensating those who have suffered losses resultinof from weather modification, benefits to those groups seeking economic gain through such projects will probably be accordingly reduced. Economically significant weather modification activities will have an eventual ecological effect, though appearance of that effect may be hidden or delayed by system resilience and/or confused by system XXX complexity. Prediction of ecological effects may never be possible with any precision; however, the greater the precision with which the weather modifier can predict results of his activities, the more pre- cisely can the ecologist predict ecological effects. Such effects will rarely be sudden or catastrophic, but will result from moderate weather-related shifts in rates of reproduction, growth, and mortality of plants and animals. Adjustments of plant and animal communities will thus occur more slowly in regions of highly variable weather than in those with more uniform conditions which are slowly changing with some regularity over time. Deliberate weather modification, such as precipitation augmentation, is likely to have a greater ecological im- pact in semi-arid regions than in humid ones. Widespread cloud seeding, using silver iodide, could result in esti- mated local, temporary increases in silver concentrations in precipita- tion approaching those in natural waters, but exchange rates would be an order of magnitude lower than the natural exchange rates. Ex- change rates will likely be many orders of magnitude less than those rates at which plants and soils are adversely affected. Conclusions 1. Weather modification is an emerging technology ; there is a wide spectrum of capabilities to modify various weather phenomena, rang- ing from the operational readiness of cold fog dispersal to little prog- ress beyond initial research in the case of modifying severe storms such as hurricanes. 2. Along with cold fog dispersal, the only other weather modifica- tion capability showing near readiness for application is the aug- mentation of winter snowpack through seeding mountain cloud sys- tems. A probable increase of about 15 percent is indicated by a number of experiments and longrunning operational seeding projects in the western United States. 3. Most scientists and weather modification operators agree that there is continued need for a wide range of research and development activity both to refine weather modification techniques where there has been some success and to advance capabilities in modifying other weather phenomena where there has been much less or little progress. 4. Current Federal policy for weather modification research and development follows the mission-oriented approach, where each agency charged with responsibility for dealing with a particular national problem is given latitude to seek the best approach or solution to the problem; this approach or solution may involve weather modification. 5. The structure of Federal organization for weather modification reflects the mission-oriented approach which is characteristic of the current Federal policy, the programs loosely coordinated through ad- visory groups and the Interdepartmental Committee for Atmospheric Sciences. 0. The interest of the Congress in weather modification has been shown by the introduction of 110 bills related to the subject since 1017 — of which have become public law — and the consideration of 22 resolutions on weather modification, one of which was passed by the Senate. 7. A number of major weather modification policy studies have been directed by public law or initiated within the executive branch over xxxr the past 25 years ; most of these studies recommended designation of a lead agency, increased basic meteorological research, increased fund- ing, improvement of support and cooperation from agencies, and con- sideration of legal, socioeconomic, environmental, and international aspects. Although some recommended actions have been undertaken, others have not seen specific action to date. 8. While major policy studies have recommended increased funding for Federal weather modification, research and development and fund- ing has generally increased over the past 20 years, recommended levels have been consistently higher than those provided, and funding has actually decreased since fiscal year 1976. 9. With enactment of the National Weather Modification Policy Act of 1976 and completion of the major policy study mandated by that act, there is a fresh opportunity for the Congress to assess the potential usefulness and problems in application of weather modifica- tion technology and to establish a new Federal policy for weather modification research and operations. 10. The principal role in regulating weather modification and in supporting operational programs has been taken by the States, while the role of the Federal Government has been support of research and development programs. 11. The majority of the States (29) have some form of law which relates to weather modification, and the general policy of a State toward weather modification is usually reflected in the weather modi- fication law of that State ; laws of some States tend to encourage devel- opment and use of the technology, while others discourage such activities. 12. The majority of operational weather modification projects in the United States (58 of a total of 72, or 80 percent in calendar year 1975) are conducted west of Kansas City, and the largest number of projects has been in California (20 during 1977) ; most operational projects are intended to increase precipitation, while others are designed to suppress hail or disperse fog. 13. Both the greatest support and the strongest opposition to weather modification projects are focused at the local level, where the economic and personal interests of local organizations and individuals are most directly affected; it follows that there is also the least social stress when decisions to apply or withhold weather modification are made at the local level. 14. Commercial weather modification operators have substained ac- tivities since the early days, after which some operations fell into disrepute, providing a valuable data base for evaluation of long-term projects and developing expertise over a broad range of capabilities: most have incorporated improvements into their technology as they have benefited from accumulated experience and from research results. 15. While the United States is the apparent leader in overall research and operational weather modification activities, there have been ap- proximately 20 foreign countries in which activities are conducted an- nually (25 countries reported such projects for 1976 through the register of the World Meteorological Organization) ; the largest for- eign program is that of the Soviet Union, whose operational hail suppression program covered about 15 million acres in 1976, the largest such effort in the world. XXXII 16. The international community has attempted to further the study o f weather modification and insure its peaceful use through the recent development of a Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Techniques (adopted by the U.N. General Assembly and opened for signature in May 1977) and through sponsorship by the World Meteorological Organization of an international precipitation enhancement program. 17. Legal issues in weather modification are complex and unsettled; they include resolution of problems of ownership of atmospheric water, issues of liability, conflicting statutes and regulations of respective e laws, and the need to develop a regime of relevant international law. 18. Although the long-term potential for economic gains through weather modification cannot be denied, attempts to quantify benefits mnd costs from such activities will in most cases be difficult to undertake on a practical basis until the technology is more highly developed and control systems are perfected to permit reliable predictions of outcomes. 19. Economically significant w r eather modification will always have an eventual ecological effect, though appearance of the effect may be delayed or hidden by system resilience and/or confounded by system complexity ; the more precisely the weather modifier can specify effects lie will produce, the more precise can be the ecologist's prediction of likely ecological effects. 20. Modification processes may also be initiated or triggered inad- vertently rather than purposefully ; man is already causing measurable variations unintentionally on the local scale, and artificial climate effects have been observed on local and regional scales. Although not veri fiable at present, the time may not be remote when human activities will result in measurable large-scale changes in weather and climate of more than passing significance. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF ISSUES (I?y Robert E. Morrison, Specialist in Earth Sciences, Science Policy Research Division, Congressional Research Service) Perspective u It is entirely possible, were he wise enough, that man could produce favorable effects, perhaps of enonnous practical significance, trans- forming his environment to render it more salutary for his purposes. This is certainly a matter which should be studied assiduously and explored vigorously. The first steps are clear. In order to control meteorological matters at all we nee d to understand them better than we now do. When we understand fully ice can at least predict weather with assurance for reasonable intervals in the future. ''With modem analytical devices, with a team of sound background and high skills, it is possible today to do a piece of work in this field which will render immediate benefits, and carry us for toward a more thorough understanding of ultimate possibilities. By all means let us get at it." — Vanne var Bush 1 SITUATION Two decades after completion of a major study and report on weather modification by the Advisory Committee on Weather Control and after the assertions quoted above, many would agree that some of the more fundamental questions about understanding and using weather modification remain unsolved. There is a great difference of opinion, however, on the state of technology in this field. According to Grant, "Some believe that weather modification is now ready for widespread application. In strong contrast, others hold that applica- tion of the technology may never be possible or practical on any substantial scale." 2 It has been demonstrated that at least some atmos- pheric phenomena can be modified with some degree of predictable success, as a consequence of seeding supercooled clouds with artificial ice nuclei, and there is some promise that the present technology will be expanded to include a greater scope of weather modification capa- bilities. Nevertheless, a systematic approach and reasonable progress in development of weather modification technology have been impeded by a number of problems. Changnon asserts that a continuing and overriding problem restrict- ing progress has been the attempt to apply an ill-defined technology to increase rain or suppress hail without an adequate scientific under- 1 From statement of Dec. 2, 1957, quoted in final report of the Advisory Committee on Weather Control, Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office. 1958. vol. I. p. 1. 2 Grant, Lewis O., "Scientific and Other Uncertainties of Weather Modification. In William A. Thomas (editor), Legal and Scientific Uncertainties of Weather Modification. Proceedings of a symposium convened at Duke University. Mar. 11-3 2. 1976, by the National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists, Durham, N.C., Duke University Press, 1977, p. 7. (1) 34-857—79 3 2 standing and predictable outcome. 3 Experimentation has been poorly conducted, intermittent, or too short ; and "results have not been inte- grated with those of other projects so as to develop a continuing thread of improving knowledge." 4 In response to the query as to why progress in weather modification lias been so slow, Fleagle identifies three broad, general impediments. "First, the physical processes associated with clouds have turned out to be especially complex and difficult * * *. A second possibility may be that the atmosphere is inherently stable, so that within broad limits, no matter what we do to increase precipitation, the results are likely to be small and roughly the same * * *. A third reason * * * is that progress has been hamstrung by fragmentation of resources, by submarginal funding, ineffective planning and coordination, and a general lack of administrative toughness and fiscal stability." 5 Droessler points out the need to "formulate a comprehensive national weather modification policy which has the broad support of the scien- tific community, the general public, private industry, and the Govern- ment," contending that "the greatest deterrent in getting on with the task of preparing a satisfactory national policy is the lack of a con- sensus about the national goals for weather modification." 6 Although operational readiness varies from one form of weather modification to another, as a result of the degree of understanding and the complexity of decisionmaking in given situations, the prospects for successful weather modification are sufficiently promising that at- tempts to develop effective applications will continue. This was one of the major areas of co?isensus at a recent symposium on the uncertainties of weather modification : There will be increased attempts to modify weather, both because people tend to do what is technically possible and because the anticipated benefits of precipi- tation augmentation, hail or lightning suppression, hurricane diversion, and other activities often exceed the associated costs. 7 With the inevitable increases in weather modification capabilities and the increasing application of these capabilities, the development of a technology that is socially useful must be insured through a careful analysis of attendant benefits and disbenefits. According to Fleagle. et al.. deliberate efforts to modify the weather have thus far had only marginal societal impacts; however, as future activities expand, "they will probably be accompanied by secondary effects which in many instances cannot be anticipated in detail * * *." Consequently, "rational policy decisions are urgently needed to insure that activities are di- rected toward socially useful goals." 8 The lack of a capability to deal with impending societal problems 8 Changnori, Stanley A.. Jr.. "The Federal Role In Weather Modification." bgckgrbund paper prepared for use by the U.S. Department of Commerce Weather Modification Advi- sory Board. Mar. !). 3 077, p. 5. ' Ibid., pp. ">-G. s Fleagle. Robert O.. "An Analysis of Federal Policies in Weather Modification.'' back- ground paper prepared for use by the U.S. Department of Commerce Weather Modification Adv:s< rv Hoard. Mar. 1<»77. pp. 17-18. « Droessler, Farl (».. "Weather Modification" (Federal Policies. Funding From AIT Sources Interagency Coordination), background paper prepared for use of the U.S. Depart- ment of Commerce Weather Modification Advisory Board, Mar. l. l!>77. p. 10 7 Thomas. William A. (editor). "Legal and Scientific Uncertainties of Weather Modifie-i- tion," proceedings of a Symposium convened at Duke University. Mar 11-12. 1970, by the Vf»'onal Conference of Lawyers and Scientists. Durham, N.C., Dnke Universitv Pres., 1077, p. vl. Flt*agie. Robert r > • -lames A. Crutchfteld, Ralph W. Johnson, and Mohamed F. AbdO, "Weather Modification in the PUbllC Interest." Seattle, American Meteorological Society and the University of Washington Press, i<>73. p. 3, 31-32. 3 and emerging management issues in weather modification has been aphoristically summed up in the following statement by Crutchfield: Weather modification is in the throes of a serious schizoid process The slow and sober business of piecing together the scientific knowledge of weather proc- esses developing the capacity to model the complex systems involved, and assess- ing systematically the results of modification efforts has led to responsible opti- mism about the future of these new technologies. On the other hand, the social technology" of evaluation, choice, and execution has lagged badly. Ihe present de- cisionmaking apparatus appears woefully inadequate to the extraordinarily ^diffi- cult task of fitting weather modification into man s pattern of life m optimal fashion There are' too many game plans, too many coaches, and a disconcerting proclivity for running hard before deciding which goal line to aim for— or, indeed, which field to play on. ,J . . . _ . Mounting evidence indicates that weather modification of several types is, or may soon become technically feasible. That some groups will derive economic or other social benefits from such technology is a spur to action. But a whole thunderhead of critical questions looms on the horizon waiting to be resolved before any valid decisions can be made about the scale, composition, location, and management of possible operations. 9 ADVANTAGES In a study for the Interdepartmental Committee for Atmospheric Sciences, Homer E. Newell highlighted the potential benefits of inten- tional weather modification : The Earth's weather has a profound influence on agriculture, forestry, water resources, industry, commerce, transportation, construction, field operations, commercial fishing, and many other human activities. Adverse effects of weather on man's activities and the Earth's resources are extremely costly, amounting to billions of dollars per year, sometimes causing irreparable damage as when human lives are lost in severe storms. There is, therefore, great motivation to develop effective countermeasures against the destructive effects of weather, and, conversely, to enhance the beneficial aspects. The financial and other ben- efits to human welfare of being able to modify weather to augment water supplies, reduce lightning, suppress hail, mitigate tornadoes, and inhibit the full development of hurricanes would be very great. 10 More recently. Louis J. Battan gave the following two reasons, with graphic examples, for wanting to change the weather : First, violent weather kills a great many people and does enormous property damage. A single hurricane that struck East Pakistan in Novemlier 1970 killed more than 250,000 people in a single day. Hurricane Camille hit the United States in 1969 and did approximately $1.5 billion worth of damage. An outbreak of tornadoes in the Chicago area on Palm Sunday of 1965 killed about 250 people, and the tornadoes of April 1974 did likewise. Storms kill people and damage property, and it is reasonable to ask whether it is necessary for us to accept this type of geophysical destruction. I say, "No, it is not — it should be possible to do something." Second, weather modification involves, and in some respects might control, the production of those elements we need to survive. Water and food are cur- rently in short supply in many areas, and these shortages almost certainly will be more severe in the future. We can develop new strains of wheat and rye and corn and soybeans and rice, but all is for naught if the weather fails to coop- erate. If the monsoons do not deliver on schedule in India, residents of that country starve in large numbers. And if the drought that people have been predicting for the last several years does spread over the Great Plains, there will be starvation around the world on a scale never before experienced. Weather is the one uncontrollable factor in the whole business of agriculture. Hail, strong winds, and floods are the scourges of agriculture, and we should not have to continue to remain helpless in the face of them. It may be impossible 9 Crntehfielri. James A.. "Social CVoice and Weather Modification : Concepts and Measure- ment of Impact." In W. R. Derrick Sewell (editor). Modifying the Weather: a Social Assessment, Victoria, British Columbia. University of Victoria. 1978. p. 1S7. 10 Newell. Homer E., "A Recommended National Program in Weather Modification." Fed- eral Council for Science and Technology, Interdepartmental Committee for Atmospheric Sciences, ICAS report No. 10a, Washington, D.C., November 1966, p. 1. 4 for us to develop the kind of technology we would like to have for modification of weather, but to assume failure in such an important endeavor is a course not to be followed by wise men. 11 Specific statistics on annual losses of life and economic losses from property damages resulting from weather-related disasters in the United States are shown in table 1, which w r as developed in a recent study by the Domestic Council. 12 In the table, for comparison, are the fiscal year 1975 expenditures by the Federal Government in weather modification research, according to the several categories of weather phenomena to be modified. Although it is clear that weather disasters can be mitigated only partially through weather modifica- tion, even if the technology were fully developed, the potential value, economic and otherwise, should be obvious. The following quotation from a Federal report written over a decade ago summarizes the full potential of benefits to mankind which might be realized through use of this technology : With advances in his civilization, man has learned how to increase the fruit of the natural environment to insure a livelihood. * * * it is fortunate that growing knowledge of the natural world has given him an increasing awareness of the changes that are occurring in his environment and a' so hopefully some means for deliberate modification of these trends. An appraisal of the prospects for deliberate weather and climate modification can be directed toward the ultimate goal of bringing use of the environment into closer harmony with its capacities and with the purposes of man — whether this be for food production, relief from floods, assuring the continuance of biologic species, stopping pollu- tion, or for purely esthetic reasons. 13 TABLE 1. — ANNUAL PROPERTY DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE FROM WEATHER-RELATED DISASTERS AND HAZARDS IN THE UNITED STATES AND FISCAL YEAR 1975 FEDERAL WEATHER MODIFICATION RESEARCH FUNDING (FROM DOMESTIC COUNCIL REPORT, 1975) Property Modification damage 1 research Weather hazard Loss of life 1 (billions) (millions) Hurricanes 2 30 2 $rj. 8 3 $o. 8 Tornadoes . 2140 2.4 4 1.0 Hail 5.8 3.9 Lightning « 110 .1 .4 Fog M.000 7.5 1.3 Floods 6 240 8 2.3 Frost (agriculture) 7 1. 1 Drought 7 .7 93.4 Total 1,520 6.7 10.8 1 Sources: "Assessment of Research on Natural Hazards," Gilbert F. White and J. Eugene Haas, the MIT Press, Cam- bridge, Mass., 1975, pp 68, 286, 305, 374; "The Federal Plan for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research, Fiscal Year 1976," U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheiic Administration (NOAA), Washington, D.C., April 1975, p 9; "Weatheiwise," February 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, American Meteorological Society, Boston, Mass.; "Summary Report on Weather Modification, Fiscal Years 1969, 1970, 1971," U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, Wash- ington, D.C., May 1973, pp 72, 81; "Estimating Crop Losses Due to Hail — Wot king Data for County Estimates," U.S. De- partment of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, September 1974; "Natural Disasters: Some Empirical and Economic Considerations," G. Thomas Sav, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C., February 1974, p 19; Traffic Safety magazine, National Safety Council, February 1974. 2 1970-74 average. 3 These funds do not include capital investment in research aircraft and instrumentation primarily for hurricane modi- fication, which in fiscal year 1975 amounted to $9,200,000. 4 These funds support theoretical research on modification of extratropical cloud systems and their attendant severe storms such as thunderstorms and tornadoes. 5 1973. « 1950-72 average. 7 Average. 1 1965-69 average. 9 These funds support precipitation augmentation research, much of which may not have direct application to drought alleviation. 11 Battan, Louis J.. "The Scientific Uncertainties: a Scientisl Responds." in William A. Thomas (editor), "Legal and Scientific Uncertainties of Weather Modification." proceed- ings of a symposium Convened at Duke University, .Mar. 11-12, 197©, by C e National Con- ference of Lawyers and Scientists. Durham. N.C., Duke University Press. 1!)77. p. 20. 12 U.S Domestic Council. Environmental Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Climate Change. "The Federal Rofe in Weather Modification," December i ( ->~r», p. 2. u» Special Commission on Weather Modification. "Weather and Climate Modification," National Science Foundation. NSF 6G-3, Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 1965, p. 7. 5 TIMELINESS The modern period in weather modification is about three decades old, dating from events in 1946, when Schaefer and Langmuir demon- strated that a cloud of supercooled water droplets could be transformed into ice crystals when seeded with dry ice. Activities and interests among scientists, the commercial cloud seeders, and Government spon- sors and policymakers have exhibited a nearly 10-year cyclic behavior over the ensuing years. Each of the three decades since the late 1940's has seen an initial burst of enthusiasm and activity in weather modi- fication experiments and/or operations; a midcourse period of con- troversy, reservations, and retrenchment; and a final period of capability assessment and policy examination, with the issuance of major Federal reports with comprehensive recommendations on a future course. The first such period ended with the publication of the final report of the Advisory Committee on Weather Control in 1957. 14 In 1959, Dr. Robert Brode, then Associate Director of the National Science Foundation, summarized the significance of that study in a 1959 congressional hearing : For 4 years the Advisory Committee studied and evaluated public and private cloud-seeding experiments and encouraged programs aimed at developing both physical and statistical evaluation methods. The final report of the com- mittee * * * for the first time placed before the American public a body of available facts and a variety of views on the status of the science of cloud physics and the techniques and practices of cloud seeding and weather modifica- tion. 15 The year 1966 was replete with Government weather modification studies, major ones conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, the Special Commission on Weather Modification of the National Science Foundation, the Interdepartmental Committee for Atmos- pheric Sciences, and the Legislative Reference Service of the Library of Congress. During that year, or thereabouts, planning reports were also produced by most of the Federal agencies with major weather modification programs. The significance of that year of reevaluatiori and the timeliness for congressional policy action were expressed by Hartman in his report to the Congress : It is especially important that a comprehensive review of weather modification be undertaken by the Congress at this time, for a combination of circumstances prevails that may not be duplicated for many years. For the first time since 1957 there now exists, in two reports prepared concurrently by the National Academy of Sciences and a Special Commission on Weather Modification, created by the National Science Foundation, a definitive appraisal of the entire scope of this subject, the broad sweep of unsolved problems that are included, and critical areas of public policy that require attention. There are currently before the Congress several bills which address, for the first time since enactment of Public Law 85-510. the question of the formal assignment of Federal authority to undertake weather modification programs. And there is increasing demand throughout the country for the benefits that weather modification may bring. 16 14 F^tablishment of the Advisory Committee on Weather Control by the Congress and its actJ^ties are discussed in following chapters on the history of weather modification and on Federal activities, chs. 2 and 5, respectively. Recommendations of the final report are summarized in ch. 6. Other renorts mentioned in the following paragraphs in this section are also discussed and referenced in chs. 5 and 6. ■ \ - .. 15 U.S. Congress. House of Representatives. Committee on Science and Astronautics. "Weather Modification." Hearing. Sfith Cong.. 1st sess., Feb. 16, 1959. Washington, JJ.L., U.S. Government Printing OfhYp 19^9. p 3. . t _ _ 16 Hartman, Lawton M. "Weather Modification and Control.' Library of Comrress, Legislative Reference Service. Apr. 27. 1966. Issued as a committee print by the Senate Committee on Commerce. 89th Cone.. 2d sess., Senate Rept. No. 1139, Washington, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1966, p. 1. 6 Toward the close of the third decade, a number of policy studies and reports appeared, starting in 1973 with a second major study by the National Academy of Sciences, and including others by the U.S. Gen- eral Accounting Office and by the U.S. Domestic Council. The major study of this period was commissioned by the Congress when it enacted Public Law 94-490, the National Weather Modification Policy Act of 1976, in October of 1976. By that law the Secretary of Commerce was directed to conduct a study and to recommend the Federal policy and a Federal research program in weather modification. That study was conducted on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce by a Weather Modi- fication Advisory Board, appointed by the Secretary, and the required report will be transmitted to the Congress during 1978. The importance of that act and its mandated study was assessed by Dr. Robert M. White, former Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos- pheric Administration (NOAA), the Commerce Department agency with administrative responsibilities and research programs in weather modification : The National Weather Modification Policy Act of 197C> * * * will influence X( )AA to some degree during the next year, and its effect may have a large impact on the agency and the Nation in future years. The comprehensive study of and report on weather modification that will result from our implementation of this act will provide guidance and recommendations to the President and the Congress in the areas of policy, research, and utilization of this technology. We look to this study and report as an opportunity to help set the future course of a controversial science and technology with enormous potential for henefit to the Nation. 17 Thus, conditions once more are ripe and the stage has been set, as in 1957 and again in 1966, for the Congress to act in establishing a defini- tive Federal weather modification policy, one appropriate at least for the next decade and perhaps even longer. Among other considerations, such a policy would define the total role of the Federal Government, including its management structure, its responsibilities for research and development and for support operations, its authorities for regu- lation and licensing, its obligation to develop international cooperation in research and peaceful applications, and its function in the general promotion of purposeful weather modification as an economically vi- able and socially accepted technology. On the other hand, other factors, such as constraints arising from public concern over spending, may inhibit the development of such policy. While some would argue that there exists no Federal policy, at least one White House official, in response to a letter to the President, made a statement of weather modification policy in 1975: A considerable amount of careful thought and study has been devoted to the subject of weather modification and what the Federal role and. in particular, the role of various agencies should he in (his area. As a result of this study, we have developed a general strategy for addressing weather modification efforts which we believe provides for an appropriate level of coordination. We believe that the agency which is charged with the responsibility for dealing with a particular national problem should Ite given the latitude to seek the best approach or solution to the problem. In some instances this may involve a form of weather modification, while in other instances other approaches may be more appropriate. While we would certainly agree that some level of coordination of weather modification research efforts is logical, we do not believe that a program under w CJ.S. Congress, Souse of Representatives, Committee on Science and Technology. Sub* committi d the EBaTlronmeal snd the Atmosphere. "Briefing «"i the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration." Hearings. 9.1th Cong., 1st sess., May 17. 18, 1977. Washing- Jon. I'.S. Government Printing Ollice, 1977. i». 4-i5. 7 the direction of any one single agency's leadership is either necessary or desirable. We have found from our study that the types of scientific research conducted by agencies are substantially different in approach, techniques, and type of equip- ment employed, depending on the particular weather phenomena being addressed. Each type of weather modification requires a different form of program manage- ment and there are few common threads which run along all programs. 13 Presumably, there will be a resurgence of congressional interest in weather modification policy during the first session of the 96th Con- gress, when the aforementioned report from the Secretary of Commerce has been reviewed and considered. In view of the recom- mendations in numerous recent studies and the opinions of the Weather Modification Advisory Board (the group of experts preparing the re- port for the Secretary of Commerce) , it seems unlikely that any action by the Congress would perpetuate the policy expounded in the White House letter quoted above. It is expected that this present report, intended as an overall review of the subject of weather modification, will be valuable and timely dur- ing the anticipated congressional deliberations. DEFINITIONS AND SCOPE OF REPORT In the broadest sense, weather modification refers to changes in weather phenomena brought on purposefully or accidentally through human activity. Weather effects stimulated unintentionally — such as urban influences on rainfall or fogs produced by industrial com- plexes — constitute what is usually termed inadvertent weather modifi- cation. On the other hand, alterations to the weather which are induced consciously or intentionally are called planned or advertent weather modification. Such activities are intended to influence single weather events and to occur over relatively short time spans, ranging from a few hours in the case of clearing airport fog or seeding a thunderstorm to perhaps a few days when at