What is electrostatic drop seeding. Can it be scaled up?

On Dec 16, 12:02 pm, John Latham <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Hello Mike et al,
>
> I agree entirely with you Mike that seeding can cause ice fogs to disperse. 
> Also electrostatic droplet seeding could help dissipate warm fogs. I should 
> have more carefully indicated that I was focusing on seeding of  clouds 
> containing ice, and particularly mixed-phase clouds.
>
> Cheers,      John.
>
> Quoting Mike MacCracken <[email protected]>:
>
>
>
>
>
> > With one exception, I agree with John. The exception is that I think it has
> > been demonstrated that one can clear an ice fog with seeding, and this has
> > been done to open airports, etc.--not to generate precipitation (in any
> > form).
>
> > I would add that the water vapor content of air and clouds above Greenland
> > is likely so low that one could not be likely to get a significant buildup
> > of snow. Whether one could seed storms or change sea surface temperatures in
> > surrounding areas in a way that would lead to greater likelihood of storms
> > depositing snow on Greenland (or Antarctica, etc.) has not, to my knowledge,
> > been looked at at all.
>
> > Mike
>
> > On 12/16/09 4:00 AM, "John Latham" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >> Hello Neil, Andrew et al.
>
> >> Cloud seeding (principally to make rain) has had a long and highly 
> >> chequered
> >> history in the 60 years since Vonnegut, Schaefer & Langmuir did their
> >> pioneering work. Many studies since then were contaminated by commercial
> >> interests. There is no essentially no consensus as to whether and under 
> >> what
> >> circumstances it will work. This is especially true for clouds that contain
> >> ice. Whether seeding will enhance, reduce or have negligible effect on such
> >> clouds depends on: atmospheric stability, cloud-base temperature, updraught
> >> speed, presence or absence of conditions in which natural secondary can
> >> function, level and location etc etc. I think there is good reason to feel
> >> sceptical of studies reporting quantitative estimates of changes induced by
> >> seeding. My view is that - as with several geoengineering schemes - what is
> >> urgently required is well-controlled , comprehensive field experiments. 
> >> Only
> >> then will it be possible to establish whether cloud seeding might, on a
> >> regional scale, be important vis-a-vis climate change.
>
> >> Cheers,   John.
>
> >> ********************************
>
> >> Quoting Neil Farbstein <[email protected]>:
>
> >>> > I'm glad we agree. Small cloud seeding experiments over Greenland
> >>> > should be practical.  We should give this some thought and modeling.
> >>> > Can you do that at your lab? Google satellite pictures and weather
> >>> > satellites can locate clouds that are likely targets to seed; The
> >>> > bigger clouds in the places that are most strategic.
> >>> > An international organization or groups of industrialized nations can
> >>> > pay the local residents or the greenland government subsidies for
> >>> > participating in the cloud seeding program.
>
> >>> > On Dec 15, 8:27 pm, Andrew Lockley <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>>> >> For clarity, the main reason my for suggesting cloud seeding is that 
> >>>> >> it
> >>>> can
> >>>> >> be used to build up greenland to a height where the air temperature is
> >>>> low
> >>>> >> enough to sustain the ice sheet.  The could potentially reverse the
> >>>> >> catastrophic Greenland tipping point - which will unleash
> >>>> several metres
> > of
> >>>> >> sea level rise over a few hundred years.  Game over for London, 
> >>>> >> Venice,
> >>>> >> Florida, New York, etc. if that happens.   Worth a bit of jet fuel or 
> >>>> >> a
> >>>> few
> >>>> >> rockets to prevent that, I'd argue.
>
> >>>> >> A
>
> >>>> >> 2009/12/15 Neil Farbstein <[email protected]>
>
> >>>>> >> > I suggested the same cloud seeding strategy a month ago. Somebody
> >>>>> >> > authoritative said that the biggest snowfall  recorded over the
> >>>>> >> > alaskan arctic caused the biggest melt water recorded during the
> >>>>> >> > spring. That's anecdotal evidence but I dropped the idea of
> >>>>> working on
> >>>>> >> > that anyway.
>
> >>>>> >> > There wont be a melt water problem if clouds are seeded over large
> >>>>> >> > parts of the gulfstream to cool it and the winds that blow off it.
>
> >>>>> >> > On Dec 15, 5:47 am, Andrew Lockley <[email protected]> 
> >>>>> >> > wrote:
> >>>>>> >> > > I note the use of cloud seeding by the Chinese, and its
> >>>> >> unexpected effect
> >>>>> >> > in
> >>>>>> >> > > causing huge snowfalls in Beijing.  It seems that there may be
> >>>> >> two useful
> >>>>>> >> > > geoengineering approaches with this technique, and I'd be
> >>>>>> interested in
> >>>>>> >> > > hearing comments.
>
> >>>>>> >> > > 1) Rebuild ice - by inducing snowfalls over Greenland,
> >>>> >> Antarctica and the
> >>>>>> >> > > Arctic, it would perhaps be possible to maintain ice.  In
> >>>>>> Greenland,
> >>>>> >> > where
> >>>>>> >> > > the height of the ice cap is critical, this would seem a
> >>>>>> particularly
> >>>>>> >> > > appealing prospect.
> >>>>>> >> > > 2) Albedo modification - Fresh snow is whiter than old snow,
> >>>>>> especially
> >>>>> >> > in
> >>>>>> >> > > polluted areas.  Is the albedo change worth pursuing?  My
> >>>>>> guess is
> > not.
> >>>>>> >> > >  HOWEVER, I suspect that triggering significant autumn and 
> >>>>>> >> > > spring
> >>>>> >> > snowfalls
> >>>>>> >> > > in permafrost regions, we could potentially significantly modify
> >>>>>> albedo.
>
> >>>>>> >> > > I invite comments.
>
> >>>>>> >> > > A
>
> >>>>> >> > --
>
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> --
> John Latham
>
> [email protected]   &    [email protected]
>
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