Precipitation Results of Two Randomized Pyrotechnic Cumulus Seeding Experiments

Abstract A randomized, single-cloud, dynamic seeding experiment was conducted with airborne pyrotechnics in South Florida in 1968 with results extensively reported. In the first 40 min following seeding, large increass in rainfall (about 150 acre-ft or approximately 100% per seeded cloud) were obtained by analysis with a calibrated 10-cm radar, the accuracy of which had been tested by a raingage comparison. The statistical significance of the rainfall differences was, however, marginal, ranging from 5–20% with a series of two-tailed tests. In the spring and early summer of 1970 an improved repeat of the experiment was conducted in two phases. Five instrumented aircraft participated in the first phase and only two in the second. Altogether 13 seeded clouds and 16 controls were obtained. All seeded clouds reached cumulonimbus stature as did 10 of the controls. The average difference in vertical growth following seeding of seeded vs control clouds was 6200 ft, significant at the 1% level. This paper is conce...