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Cloud Seeding Yields No Statistical Difference in Concentration of Silver in Soil Survey Across South-Central Idaho

2022
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Clouds have been shedding their silver linings over Idaho for nearly four decades. Cloud seeding with silver iodide increases reservoir carryover by 10% and has improved the productivity of the Idaho Hydroelectric Project by up to 13%. As seeding efforts intensify, so do concerns regarding potential environmental effects. European studies have found cloud seeding with silver iodide to have no environmentally harmful effect. While research on warm-weather, hail-suppression studies in the Mediterranean are well studied, research on cold-weather, snow-augmentation studies in North America is lacking. To this end, this study compares the concentrations of silver in soils across south-central Idaho.Data revealed no statistical difference between test and control sites. The greatest concentration of 78.9 ppt was below the 0.1-1.0 ppm standard for unpolluted soils. An increase in silver was observed when different filter membranes were used. Experimental replication is necessary to test if a difference in filtering materials indeed produces different results. Once a standard method is established, the data can provide a reference for futures studies to evaluate long-term effects of cloud seeing programs in south-central Idaho.

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