Planned Weather Modification through Cloud Seeding An
Information Statement of the American Meteorological Society
(Adopted by the AMS Council on 2 November 2010) Increasing
population, urbanization, and the impacts of a changing climate
require that water resources be managed to most effectively
alleviate the shortages that manifest themselves, from time to
time, in various geographic settings. At the other extreme,
precipitation processes on occasion may be so intense and
prolonged that damage results to crops and structures, and there
can be injuries and loss of life. In addition, nonprecipitating
clouds may obscure visibility to the extent that transportation
and other human activities are significantly hindered. One tool
available for mitigating some of these weather impacts is
planned weather modification through cloud seeding. In its most
common form, specially formulated aerosols or very cold
materials are dispersed in targeted locations within clouds to
achieve precipitation enhancement, hail damage