Whether the Weather

PeopleSystems and Sustainability: This Week in the Global Environment

Whether the Weather

The annual Russian Victory Day celebrating the end of World War Two was a rainy washout in 2012. It was widely reported that this year’s festival during the second week of May was protected from the weather by the military. Ria Novosti (http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130507/181002604.html) reported that 10 aircraft would be loaded with rain-preventive “reagents”, and that $4 million (US) would provide for two rain-free holidays in the city. English language Pravda (http://english.pravda.ru/news/russia/30-08-2012/122032-clouds_above_moscow-0/) quoted $64 million rubles, or $20 million US. Pravda also specified the “reagents” of weather control: dry ice, liquid nitrogen, and a powdered “cement” product, “M-500”. 

By all reports, the weather control operation succeeded. The city had a fine, cloudless day of celebration. The Washington Post for 10 May reported matter-of-factly that the Moscow government contracted to seed clouds and prevent rain. Conspiracy-theory site InfoWars.Com (http://www.infowars.com/russia-attacks-clouds-to-clear-sky-for-city-day-celebration/) hints at darker, more extensive, reasons for and methods of controlling the weather and “seeding” clouds. 

Primary reason for military weather control seems to be the ability to control precipitation and cloud cover over battlespace during active armed conflict. From an environmental perspective, a few days of weather control—which mostly involves moving precipitation some kilometers away from the seeded area—would seem to be of trivial importance. From a military perspective, it seems unlikely to be particularly helpful. For example, in Italy from mid-October 1943 to December 1944 heavy rain fell for 50 out of 73 days, contributing to the almost farcically difficult battle for Monte Cassino [1]. In a zero-sum world, the expense of controlling weather for a five month battle would be more than prohibitive. Let’s hope we have better uses for our resources of time, money, expertise, and “reagents” in a world where a changing climate brings weather into sharp focus.

We’ve got a special bonus blogroll this week. DAC Crossley, Emeritus Professor at the University of Georgia and my mentor for my PhD years, keeps a fascinating weekly site at http://daccrossley.typepad.com/ . Eclectic and delightful!

[1] Adams, Peter-Caddick. 2013. Monte Cassinao: Ten Armies in Hell. Oxford University Press.