65 years ago, man first made snow
November 14, 2011 5:36 PM
Chris Gloninger
ALBANY -- “You can drop dry ice through these clouds and you can actually convert that part of the cloud into snow crystals,” said meteorologist Duncan Blanchard.
This technique is called cloud seeding.
It was invented by a Schenectady native Vincent Schaefer - a GE scientist. Schaefer’s research can be found on the campus of SUNY Albany, and it was the job of archivist Kerry Lynch to. compile his data.
“On a really hot day he needed to cool down a homemade “cold chamber” in a research lab, and he dropped some dry ice into the “cold chamber” and discovered that it could form ice crystals,” said Kerry Lynch.
6 months later, on November 13, 1946, Schaefer took to the air and made it snow over western Massachusetts. His colleague Duncan Blanchard explained how his attempt to change mother nature - worked.
“On the famous flight they made, they made a race track pattern about 20 miles long dropping dry ice. The entire area of the race track was transformed into snow,” said Blanchard.
They continued their research for Project Cirrus for 4 years, but it abruptly ended when pilots were needed to fly during the Korean War. Since that time cloud seeding research has rekindled.
The science of cloud seeding is still evolving in fact ski resorts use the technology and the dry ice to add to their snowfall.
“You can use cloud seeding techniques to cause it not to rain as well as to cause precipitation,” said Lynch.
That is done over a relatively small area, but if research improves cloud seeding may help mitigate severe droughts or prevent rainfall over flooded areas.
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