Chemical Structure Of Rain By Vincent J. Schaefer

Imagine a thunderstorm. The ferocious winds, deafening thunder, and the flashing lightning all combine efforts to form an unforgettable experience. However, the real star is the rain. It can come from any direction with its stinging pellets. Mother Nature has always been powerful and destructive; but what if man could actually control nature? This same question was once asked by an American scientist named Vincent J. Schaefer. Schaefer had the world-changing vision of creating rain. He successfully changed the chemical structure of a cloud to produce rain; a process known to modern-day scientists as weather modification. By 1946, Schaefer had created snow in an actual cloud (Zikoyanis, 2). The world followed his lead and by the twenty-first

Hail causes almost $1,000,000,000 in damage per year to crops and property (Hail, 1). Without the current use of weather modification in the United States, this cost would be escalated dramatically. Studies done by the North American Weather Modification Council have shown that cloud seeding, another term for weather modification, has helped reduce hail damage up to 45% in the United States alone (Frequently Asked Questions, 3). Another major weather phenomenon that could be prevented using cloud seeding is fog. Fog is capable of closing schools, causing car accidents, and grounding airplanes. Using weather modification to prevent fog could save individuals, governments, and companies substantial time and money. While skeptics doubt the potential damage prevented using weather modification, even one life saved using hail and fog reduction is

Hurricanes, a devastating force of nature, are often caused by the sun heating the ocean too much in one area. Weather modification scientists believe that if they were to increase the brightness of clouds through cloud seeding, the sun would reflect off the clouds rather than heat the ocean (Clouds Over Troubled Waters, 2). There would then be a decreased chance of a hurricane forming and destroying people's property and lives. However, what is perhaps the most tantalizing possibility of cloud seeding science is drought elimination. 783,000,000 people around the world do not have access to clean water (Facts and Figures, 1). The use of cloud seeding to produce more water for these people would save many lives around the world. The world’s water crisis is currently the leading risk to society (Global Risks Report, 1). If more states and countries were to use weather modification, this risk could be