Weather Modification in Up Or Down?

Abstract

Weather modification activities in 1972 are reviewed to identify the major new projects, the major new findings, the major problems, and what these all mean for this exciting, often controversial science. The major new projects revealed a decided increase in interest and funding at the state and local levels, as well as new thrusts in federal programs. Non-governmental support of weather modification research and operations performed by American commercial firms exceeded $8 million, representing about 25% of the total expenditure on weather modification in the United States in 1972. Major new findings related to a variety of laboratory, instrumental, and field activities concerning planned modification of precipitation, hail, and warm fog, and also to inadvertent modification of clouds and rainfall. Several controversies regarding weather modification arose in 1972, but they all revolved more around the questions of its desirability or methodology, rather than whether it could be done. In general, 1972 was a year of 1) growing public acceptance and concern over weather modification as a technology, 2) growing local-state support of weather modification, and 3) federal reassessment of the thrust of their programs.