Program for the Augmentation of Rainfall in Coahulia

Overview

In 1996, concern by representatives of the state of Coahuila and Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) regarding regional pressures on water resources, particularly during drought conditions in northern México, led to the development of a scientific program to evaluate the viability of increasing rainfall through cloud seeding techniques. Consequently, the Program for the Augmentation of Rainfall in Coahulia (PARC) was proposed as a four-year program consisting of a randomized seeding experiment, physical studies, and collaboration with and training of Mexican scientists and students. PARC is a cooperative effort between the state of Coahuila (Secretaria de Fomento Agropecuario - SFA), AMHSA, and NCAR, with significant participation by other Mexican educational and research organizations.

1. A field project phase during the convective rainfall season, and includes project management (Logistics support, daily forecasting, direction of experiments), facility deployment, data collection, and training in field operations.
2. An ongoing evaluation of the randomized experiment.
3. Data analyses to improve our understanding of processes important to precipitation (i.e., physical studies) and to assess the effectiveness of the seeding technique used in the randomized experiment.
4. Further training or educational activities for participants in PARC.