Recorded presentation1.6
The sky as water reservoir: weather control for the arid U.S. West
Kristine C. Harper, Dibner Institute -- MIT, Cambridge, MA
The movement of increasing numbers of people to the U.S. West during the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought out many difficulties not generally faced east of the Mississippi River. One of the most difficult environmental problems was the lack of water. As settlers, perhaps with government aid, continued to pour into these arid lands, it soon became apparent to government officials, farmers, and individual entrepreneurs that in order to provide water for both agriculture and the everyday activities of life, controlling nature would be a necessity. Irrigation projects flourished as water was diverted from large rivers such as the Colorado and its tributaries. However, westerners continued to look for a less expensive fix. Instead of building dams, reservoirs, and canal systems at great expense, could not the atmosphere be tapped as a giant water reservoir as needed? Weather modification had been actively pursued since the 19th century. The middle of the 20th century brought renewed scientific and governmental interest in this issue. Weather control and the water it would bring became for many the key to prosperity in arid lands. This paper will examine the varied motivations behind the efforts to control the weather, including congressional funding of large-scale rainmaking projects and scientific research into cloud physics mechanisms from the Pacific Northwest to the Desert Southwest. Recorded presentation
Session 1, History Symposium
Tuesday, 11 January 2005, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
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