Impacts of Artificial Climate Modification
Controlling the weather. The very idea of it sounds enthralling and, yet, terrifying. Take a moment and think about the endless possibilities. Imagine the scenario: Hurricane Katrina is headed straight for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The loss of life is unthinkable and the amount of damage is insurmountable. However, scientists have discovered a way to seed the hurricane, not only lessening its power but potentially redirecting its path. Hundreds of lives are saved and billions of dollars in damage are prevented. While extreme storm manipulation is a far reach into the future, the possibility to increase rain and snow fall and to suppress hail storms is a reality. However exciting the possibilities, there are still great concerns on how this awesome power will affect the world.
Weather Modification (WM) began in the mid 1940s with three scientists at the General Electric Laboratory. Vincent Schaefer, Bernard Vonnegut, and Irving Langmuir conducted various experiments in precipitation management. Their studies showed that the use of dry ice and silver iodide in supercooled stratus clouds acted as “seeds” for rain and snow making. Simply put, seeding is the introduction of crystalline particles into a cloud to create ice crystals and water droplets that will become precipitation (Bridget, 51). These first series of experiments encouraged new rain enhancement and hail prevention projects throughout the world (List, 51).
With the introduction of any new finding, there is a need for guidelines. In order to create a more universal, uniform, and organized method of researching weather modification, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) establish...
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Solak, M.E., Yorty, D.P., & Griffith, D.A. (2003). Estimations of Downwind Cloud Seeding Effects in Utah. Report: North American Weather Consultants, Inc., 35(1), 1, 2, 4.
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List, R. (Jan 2004). Weather Modification- A Scenario for the Future. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 85(1), 52, 56-57.
...xpected weather conditions over time, previous weather conditions, possible areas of less deteriorating weather conditions, expected duration of bad weather condition.
Humburg, S. et al (1997) Common Questions about Climate Change. Washington DC: United Nations Environment Programme- World Meteorological Organization. Reprinted as Unit 5 in Slaght, J. Harben, P. & Pallant, A. (2006) English for Academic Study: Reading and Writing Source Book. Reading: Garnet Publishing Ltd.
Weather is a very influential and important aspect of every human’s life. It significantly impacts our daily lives and it is also a potential way to make a living. The people who predict and forecast the weather, people called meteorologists, are very important as they inform the public about the latest weather advancements and news. Meteorologists are very unique as they study different things compared to others in the weather/climate field. They also use different tools and, to become a meteorologist, require different coursework. Meteorologists are, overall, a very significant part of people’s everyday lives and science, as they are a great tool in helping to better understand weather and climate here on Earth.
"Beyond Bias and Barriers, and Implications for the Society." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 91.7 (2010): 954-. ProQuest. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.
There are many causes and consequences of climate change discussed throughout this Encyclical. One of the most important would be the extreme weather. “In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determined cause
“An introduction to climate change.” Natural Resource Defense Council. Natural Resources Defense Council 8 November 2015 n. pag. Web. 28 November 2015.
Controlling the weather has always been only a superhero’s power in the movies, until now. Scientists now have the tools to create more or less snow and rain on command. This method, called cloud seeding, was initially discovered in 1946 by chemist Vincent Schaefer. His experiment involved encapsulating a cloud in dry ice, which allowed the water in the cloud to become ice crystals, although later researchers replaced the dry ice with silver iodide, a powder more commonly used in photography that deepens in hues in light exposure. Invoked with excitement, scientists believed this discovery the answer to preventing disastrous weather and providing water for all. Sadly, the money invested into this project decreased, but it is still used by companies
Weather conditions are one of the most unpredictable factors a pilot must face. It affects a pilot’s activities more then any other element. Some say it is the most difficult and least understood subject in aviation history, while others continue to be “daredevils” and fly through it. A pilot’s knowledge of weather is imperative when it comes to flying an aircraft safely through a storm or even avoiding it in the first place. For a pilot, understanding weather phenomena will increase flight safety.
The goal of of remote sensing within the realm of climate change is to provide a reliable scientific grounds for helping establish policies relating to both natural and anthropomorphic induced changes in the Earth's environment (Navalgund and Sing, 2011). Both the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) both have space based observation programs dedicated to climate change.
Satellites, weather balloons and ground radar have been used to both forecast future weather and update current conditions for decades. Ground-based weather radars transmit a signal, then detect and analyze the returning echo to assess the size and concentration of water droplets as well as wind speed.
Hardy, J. T. Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. New York: J. Wiley, 2003. Print.
...of several cloud seeding projects have indicated small percentage precipitation increases extending as far as 100 miles downwind of the intended areas of effect on projects that had indications of increases in the intended target area.” (Dennis,Brown,Long,Solak)
Climate Change has caused some extreme and weather breaking events in recent years. There have been heat waves in European and North America, floods in Africa after nearly 2 decades of drought, and nearly continuous rain and cold in the middle of summer at other places. In the 80`s six of the hottest years of the ce...
Web. The Web. The Web. March 26, 2014 Ncdc.noaa.gov. Web.