Editing Project Stormfury (section)

==Hypothesis==
[[Image:Project stormfury hypothesis.png|thumb|The working hypothesis of Project Stormfury]]
Cloud seeding was first attempted by [[Vincent Schaefer]] and [[Irving Langmuir]]. After witnessing the artificial creation of ice crystals, Langmuir became an enthusiastic proponent of [[weather modification]].<ref name="Davies p. 85">Davies p 85</ref> Schaefer found that when he dumped crushed [[dry ice]] into a cloud, precipitation in the form of [[snow]] resulted.<ref name="Whipple p. 150">Whipple p. 150</ref>

With regard to hurricanes, it was hypothesized that by seeding the area around the [[eye (cyclone)|eyewall]] with [[silver iodide]], [[latent heat]] would be released. This would promote the formation of a new eyewall. As this new eyewall was larger than the old eyewall, the winds of the tropical cyclone would be weaker due to a reduced [[pressure gradient]].<ref name="Landsea D9">Landsea D9</ref> Even a small reduction in the speed of a hurricane's winds would be beneficial: since the damage potential of a hurricane increased as the square of the wind speed,<ref name="Landsea D5">Landsea D5</ref> a slight lowering of wind speed would have a large reduction in destructiveness.<ref name="Landsea D5"/>

Due to Langmuir's efforts, and the research of Schaefer at [[General Electric]], the concept of using cloud seeding to weaken hurricanes gathered momentum. Indeed, Schaefer had caused a major snowstorm on December 20, 1946 by seeding a cloud.<ref name="Whipple p. 150"/> This caused GE to drop out for legal reasons. Schaefer and Langmuir assisted the U.S. military as advisors for Project Cirrus, the first large study of [[cloud physics]] and [[weather modification]]. Its most important goal was to try to weaken [[tropical cyclone|hurricanes]].<ref name="Whipple p. 151">Whipple p 151</ref>