Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Summary Of The Noaa/Utah Atmospheric Modification Program: 1990-1996, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Meterology

This final report summarizes physical investigations into the artificial nucleation ("seeding") of winter mountain clouds in central Utah during 1990-96. Program goals were to evaluate the effectiveness of the Utah operational cloud seeding program and to recommend improvements. Field programs employed a wide variety of instrumentation systems. Sophisticated numerical modeling was used in conjunction with the observational programs. Amounts and distributions of SLW (supercooled liquid water) cloud were investigated, as was transport and dispersion of ground-released seeding agents and tracer gases. Several experiments directly monitored ice crystals and snowfall rates resulting from either silver iodide (Agl) or liquid propane seeding. …

Potential Regional Impacts Of Global Warming On Precipitation In The Western United States, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Meterology

Snow and melting of the snowpack provide the principal supply of water to much of the Western United States. Whether global warming threatens this water supply is the focus of this research. This study builds upon a previous Global Climate Change Response Program investigation. Charts were generated of four geopotential height parameters for a domain covering the eastern North Pacific Ocean and western North America. Out of 131 total winter months (from 1946-89), 35 were selected as analogues.

Monthly mean precipitation values for areas in western Montana, northern Utah, and east central Arizona were compared with median values for the …

Precipitation Gauge Testing On The Wasatch Plateau, Utah, During Early 1993, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Meterology

The Bureau of Reclamation performed an independent evaluation of an ETI (Electronic Techniques, Inc.) precipitation gauge at the High Altitude Site on the western slope of the Wasatch Plateau in central Utah. The ETI gauge could provide a desirable alternative to conventional recording gauges in several applications, including evaluation of cloud seeding projects, if it performs as advertised. The testing program was intended to determine its performance in a winter mountain environment. The ETI precipitation gauge proved to be reliable from time of installation in late November 1992 until removal in late March 1993. The only problem found was an …

Initial Climate Change Scenario For The Western United States, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Meterology

Observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations in recent decades have shown an accelerating upward trend due mainly to burning of fossil fuels. Physical considerations indicate that observed and projected increases in the concentrations of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will lead to significant global warming. Previous authors have followed both empirical and theoretical approaches to develop scenarios for changed climate conditions. The most common empirical approach is the use of analogs of global warming drawn from historical records and paleoclimates. The principal theoretical approach involves the interpretation of output for general circulation models …