Making Snow – Advances in Orographic Cloud Seeding Research

Prof. Katja Friedrich

University of Colorado Boulder

Monday February 10, 2025, 2 PM ET

Abstract:

The Seeded and Natural Orographic Wintertime Clouds: The Idaho Experiment (SNOWIE) project aims to study the impacts of cloud seeding on winter orographic clouds. The field campaign took place in Idaho between 7 January and 17 March 2017 and employed a comprehensive suite of instrumentation, including ground-based radars and airborne sensors, to collect in situ and remotely sensed data in and around clouds containing supercooled liquid water before and after seeding with silver iodide aerosol particles. The seeding material was released primarily by an aircraft. It was hypothesized that the dispersal of the seeding material from aircraft would produce zigzag lines of silver iodide as it dispersed downwind. In several cases, unambiguous zigzag lines of reflectivity were detected by radar, and in situ measurements within these lines have been examined to determine the microphysical response of the cloud to seeding. The measurements from SNOWIE aim to address long-standing questions about the efficacy of cloud seeding, starting with documenting the physical chain of events following seeding. The data is also used to evaluate and improve computer modeling parameterizations, including a new cloud-seeding parameterization designed to further evaluate and quantify the impacts of cloud seeding.

Biosketch:

Katja Friedrich is a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on the dynamical and microphysical processes that drive the formation and evolution of precipitation in various types of storms. The goal of her work is to improve the prediction of precipitation amounts and distributions, provide reliable guidelines for designing future observational networks, and help adapt to a changing climate. Recently, her studies have explored the effectiveness of orographic wintertime cloud seeding and the role of mixed-phase clouds in generating snowfall in the Western United States. Friedrich earned her Ph.D. from the University of Munich, Germany, and holds both a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Leipzig, Germany.

Webinar:

Event site: https://go.umd.edu/friedrich

Zoom Webinar: https://go.umd.edu/friedrichewbinar

Zoom Meeting ID: 983 4544 9041
Zoom password: essic

US Toll: 13017158592
Global call-in numbers: https://umd.zoom.us/u/aMElEpvNu

For IT assistance:
Cazzy Medley: cazzy@umd.edu

Resources:

Seminar schedule & archive: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminar

Seminar Google calendar: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminarcalendar

Seminar recordings on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ESSICUMD