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It's also getting easier to see how air pollution particles, called aerosols, and urban heat are modifying the weather, said Joe Golden, senior researcher for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Science Laboratory. "This pollution in regions that depend on uplift of air (over mountains) for precipitation...has caused a systematic decrease in snow packs," said Golden. This applies to Colorado, but even more critically to California, where tens of millions of people depend on the slow melting of the Sierra Nevada snow pack for their summer water supply, he said. Urban heat has also been linked to an increase in cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in Houston, Golden said. "These are two examples of human-caused effects on weather that concern us," said Golden. So much so that he and other scientists are beginning to collaborate with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to see if there may be ways to modify weather -- especially hurricanes -- that decrease hazards, he said. A similar effort, called Project StormFury, was started in the 1960s, but suffered from a lack of data. "Now we have much better observing tools for looking at hurricanes," said Joe Golden. That said, the primary reason for cloud seeding worldwide hasn't changed much since the 1950s: to make water fall on thirsty ground, explained Arlen Huggins of Nevada's Desert Research Institute. And there's only so much you can do. "Cloud seeding is not a drought-busting tool," agreed Bruintjes. "We cannot make clouds; we cannot chase away clouds." Related Links: |
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