A Study in
Part fifteen
"A technology of that kind would be worth an untold fortune. Imagine being able to control any device simply by sending a command via radio waves. It's the future, Watson!"”
There is one other profound
Recall from part 1 that cosmic rays have been implicated in the augmentation of lower clouds by stripping electrons which then accelerate cloud condensation. This theory was developed in 1997 by Svensmark and Friis-Christensen and has been the subject of study by scientists at CERN, such as Jasper Kirkby.
This phenomenon has only been confirmed for cloud cover that is less than 3km above the surface. This is thought to be either due to:
The different nature of upper cloud formation from ice nuclei.
The upper atmosphere is constantly saturated with cosmic rays, in contrast to the lower atmosphere which experiences fluctuations in accordance with the sunspot cycle.
Could it be possible to artificially simulate this effect?
In the late 19th
Nikola Tesla noticed this phenomenon when his electromagnetic beams caused the water vapour in the affected region to condense and speculated that this would be a future means to control the weather.
If beams of microwave energy were to be directed upwards into the atmosphere, then would this also set free electrons to enhance cloud formation?
Microwaves and radio
However, if the beam of microwave energy were to be
The released electrons, consequently
They grow by condensation and coagulation into charged particles called ion clusters which form the basis for cloud condensation nuclei. They can also attach themselves to aerosols, imparting their charge to them and radically enhancing cloud formation.
Recall the HAARP experiment in 2013, where the
Plasma is
As we know, free electrons accelerate cloud formation in the lower atmosphere, so it would be perfectly possible for the same technology to generate and enhance lower clouds.
Over the Radar
After having implicated sustained microwave energy in ionizing clouds, the next revelation is that radar technology, in addition to its function as a tool for observing weather phenomena, can also be applied to manipulating them.
Pioneering individuals such as
This new technology was developed from conventional weather radar networks, which had become established in North America, Europe, Japan and other developed countries
Recall that
“That it is the sense of Congress that the United States should participate in and give full support to the world weather program which included (1)
From the Congressional Record (Senate), 1 April 1968.
Again, the common factor is the electromagnetic wave. In the case of NEXRAD, which employs microwaves in the form of short, high-intensity bursts of high frequency up to 2GHz. Each burst may last a microsecond. The receiver then listens for the echo to arrive at a picture of whatever the radar is being used to detect, in the
Again, if the beam of microwave energy were to be
It’s important to note that the NEXRAD stations do not continuously operate in this mode. In their “official” mode, they are supposed to be active between 0.05% and
However, in their
That means each NEXRAD station operates as a miniature HAARP. It can alter the atmosphere above and around it, as explained in this video by
How Nexrad HAARP Works: Turning Natural Storms into Biblical Floods
If NEXRAD aimed within the region where lower cumulus clouds
Augmented Aerosols
The electrically conducting substances
Scientists have determined that increased aerosol levels lead to a corresponding increase in clouds
“Using data from the DOE ARM Climate Research Facility in Barrow, Alaska, Vogelmann and Lubin determined that
Aerosols In Many Arctic Clouds Warm Up Ground Surface
A climatologically significant aerosol longwave indirect effect in the Arctic
Arctic Clouds
Generally, greater amounts of lower clouds, which reflect more sunlight than the heat energy they trap, will have a greater cooling influence. This applies the closer the lower clouds are to the equator. However, the further pole-wards the lower clouds occur, the greater the shift towards net warming until, over the Arctic,
In the Arctic,
Source: IPCC, Third Assessment Report: Climate Change, 2001
This correlates well with the record for temperature change by latitude for the period 1980 to 2001. Take note that the northern latitudes are on the left-hand side in the above graph and on the right-hand side in the graph below.
Looking at the change in Arctic cloud cover in spring, we can see that there has been a roughly 10% increase from the period 1980 (73%) to 2005 (83%). This linear change has overridden the effects of the Arctic oscillation.
Time series of seasonally averaged cloud fraction over the arctic seas in spring (March, April, May). Provided by Axel J. Schweiger.
“Correlations with temperature and sea ice extent are strongest during spring and autumn when the cloud longwave effect dominates.
Note here that although sulphate aerosols have been decreasing, this is not true of coal
“Overall, relationships between ice, temperature, and clouds indicate that
Interannual Variations of Arctic Cloud Types in Relation to Sea Ice
“Eastman and Warren (2010, hereafter EW10) has shown that
“Our companion paper EW10, based on surface-observed clouds,
Arctic Cloud Changes from Surface and Satellite Observations
Spatial distribution of trends in cloud cover over twenty years. Provided by Axel J. Schweiger.
It is important to note that the graphic above depicting cloud cover over the North Pole does not include readings for Greenland and other regions around the Arctic circle. Lower cloud has also been on the increase in Greenland.
“On Greenland, which is covered in bright, light-reflecting snow, clouds primarily act to trap heat.”
Clouds, like blankets, trap heat and are melting the Greenland Ice Sheet
“At the critical surface melt time, the clouds were optically thick enough and low enough to
“We further show that these thin, low-level liquid clouds
July 2012 Greenland melt extent enhanced by low-level liquid clouds
Ghost Stations
It is intriguing to note that, dotted around the Arctic circle, are the remains of radar stations, still off-limits to the public.
(Image: US Air Force, public domain)
“Another innovation of the 1950s, the DEW Line was a network of radar stations stretching from
Cold Warning: The Abandoned Radar Stations of the Arctic Circle
Did the animosity between the superpowers prevent them from collaborating upon a joint project or did the “Cold War” have more than one meaning?
Recall