- Desert Research Institute
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Logo of the Desert Research Institute
The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is the nonprofit research campus of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), the organization that oversees all publicly-supported higher education in the U.S. state of Nevada. At DRI, approximately 440 research faculty and support staff engage in more than $27 million in environmental research each year.[1]
DRI's environmental research programs are divided into three core divisions (Atmospheric Sciences, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, and Hydrologic Sciences) and two interdisciplinary centers (Center for Arid Lands Environmental Management and the Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability).
Contents
Cloud Seeding Program
DRI weather modification research produced the Nevada State Cloud Seeding Program in the 1960s. This initiative, funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, seeks to augment snowfall in mountainous regions of Nevada in order to increase snow pack and water supply. DRI researchers use ground stations and aircraft to release microscopic silver iodide particles into winter clouds, stimulating the formation of ice crystals which develop to snow.[2]
Research indicates that cloud seeding leads to precipitation rate increases of 0.1 - 1.5 millimeters per hour.
Atmospheric and Dispersion Modeling Program
For over a decade the Atmospheric and Dispersion Modeling Program team has been performing work focused on observations and modeling of atmospheric dispersion processes over complex terrain and coastal areas.[3] In particular, the team is applying, developing, and evaluating mesoscale meteorological models as well as regulatory and advanced atmospheric dispersion models such as ISC3ST, AERMOD, WYNDVALLEY, ASPEN and CALPUFF. They have developed a Lagrangian Random Particle Dispersion Model that has been applied to complex coastal and inland environments.
Several recent projects led to developing real time mesoscale forecasting system using the MM5 model coupled with a Lagrangian random particle dispersion model and implementation of data assimilation schemes.
Main research campuses
The Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada- Dandini Research Park - Reno, Nevada 39°34′19″N 119°48′3″W / 39.57194°N 119.80083°W
- Southern Nevada Science Park - Las Vegas, Nevada 36°6′50″N 115°8′54″W / 36.11389°N 115.14833°W
Subsidiary campuses
- Solar One - Boulder City, Nevada
- Storm Peak Laboratory - Steamboat Springs, Colorado
See also
References
- ^ About DRI (from the DRI website>
- ^ "Synopsis of DRI Cloud Seeding Program". DRI Cloud Seeding Program. Desert Research Institute. http://www.dri.edu/synopsis. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ Modeling Expertise (from DRI website)
External links
Nevada colleges and universities Nevada System of Higher Education Four-year Two-year Post-graduate Desert Research InstitutePrivate institutionsNon-profit For-profit Career College of Northern Nevada · DeVry University · International Academy of Design and Technology · ITT Technical Institute · Kaplan College · Las Vegas College · Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Las Vegas · Morrison University · Pima Medical Institute · The Art Institute of Las Vegas · University of PhoenixCategories:- Nevada System of Higher Education
- Universities and colleges in Nevada
- Air dispersion modeling
- Meteorological institutions affiliated with universities
- Universities and colleges in Clark County, Nevada
- Climate change in the United States by state
- Education in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Education in Reno, Nevada
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