BEATTIE GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE $7.6M FOR CLOUD SEEDING STUDY

Premier Peter Beattie today announced that $7.6 million will be provided over four years to evaluate the effectiveness of cloud seeding in increasing rainfall in Queensland.

Mr Beattie said beginning next year a pilot project would be conducted in south-east Queensland using new “warm cloud” seeding processes.

The funding, which fulfils a Beattie Government election commitment, will allow aircraft to operate during the spring/summer season when convective clouds are available for seeding.

“Rainfall has been declining in Queensland in the past 50 years but especially since 1990,” Mr Beattie said.

“At the same time, our population has been increasing sharply, so we need to look at all methods to secure additional water supplies, including drilling for groundwater, desalination and cloud seeding.

“Cloud seeding works - it is science fact not science fiction - but it only works in limited circumstances. Cloud seeding is unlikely to be a useful tool Statewide but it could help increase rainfall in specific regions.”

Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace said Queensland was looking at conducting a pilot project in collaboration with the Bureau of Meteorology and the United States National Centre for Atmospheric Research.

The project would use new radar technology installed at Mt Stapylton, west of Brisbane.

The cloud seeding project will:

- Study relevant atmospheric information, processes and conditions in Queensland that assist cloud seeding.

- Utilise the latest radar technology to research cloud physics and increased rain associated with cloud seeding.

- Using the research results, conduct cloud seeding operations over southern Queensland.

- Inform rural and urban populations likely to be affected by the cloud seeding process, and

- Provide a full scientific report to the Beattie Government on the results of the study.

Mr Wallace said cloud seeding could be used for manipulating rainfall patterns. It has been experimented with in various locations in Australia and around the world since the 1940s.

Cloud seeding currently is used in southern parts of Australia to enhance water supplies for hydro-electric power generation.

Also in the past 10 years there has been increasing interest in “warm cloud” seeding, which seeds clouds that have much warmer upper temperatures than previously used in more southern latitudes in Australia.

Media inquiries: Premier’s office 3224 4500

Mr Wallace’s office - Caroline Kaurila 0414 213 954

27 December 2006