Abstract Title
Cloud Seeding Yields No Statistical Difference in Concentration of Silver in Soil Survey Across South-Central Idaho
Additional Funding Sources
This project is supported by a 2021-2022 STEM Undergraduate Research Grant from the SBOE Higher Education Research Council.
Abstract
Clouds have been shedding their silver linings over Idaho for nearly four decades. Cloud seeding with silver iodide increases reservoir carryover by 10% and has improved the productivity of the Idaho Hydroelectric Project by up to 13%. As seeding efforts intensify, so do concerns regarding potential environmental effects. European studies have found cloud seeding with silver iodide to have no environmentally harmful effect. While research on warm-weather, hail-suppression studies in the Mediterranean are well studied, research on cold-weather, snow-augmentation studies in North America is lacking. To this end, this study compares the concentrations of silver in soils across south-central Idaho.
Data revealed no statistical difference between test and control sites. The greatest concentration of 78.9 ppt was below the 0.1-1.0 ppm standard for unpolluted soils. An increase in silver was observed when different filter membranes were used. Experimental replication is necessary to test if a difference in filtering materials indeed produces different results. Once a standard method is established, the data can provide a reference for futures studies to evaluate long-term effects of cloud seeing programs in south-central Idaho.
Cloud Seeding Yields No Statistical Difference in Concentration of Silver in Soil Survey Across South-Central Idaho
Clouds have been shedding their silver linings over Idaho for nearly four decades. Cloud seeding with silver iodide increases reservoir carryover by 10% and has improved the productivity of the Idaho Hydroelectric Project by up to 13%. As seeding efforts intensify, so do concerns regarding potential environmental effects. European studies have found cloud seeding with silver iodide to have no environmentally harmful effect. While research on warm-weather, hail-suppression studies in the Mediterranean are well studied, research on cold-weather, snow-augmentation studies in North America is lacking. To this end, this study compares the concentrations of silver in soils across south-central Idaho.
Data revealed no statistical difference between test and control sites. The greatest concentration of 78.9 ppt was below the 0.1-1.0 ppm standard for unpolluted soils. An increase in silver was observed when different filter membranes were used. Experimental replication is necessary to test if a difference in filtering materials indeed produces different results. Once a standard method is established, the data can provide a reference for futures studies to evaluate long-term effects of cloud seeing programs in south-central Idaho.