Weather Modification: NOAA Should Strengthen Oversight to Ensure Reliable Information
Weather Modification: NOAA Should Strengthen Oversight to Ensure Reliable Information, Report no. GAO-108013, Feb. 2026
Amidst drought and changing climate conditions, some states and other organizations are looking to weather modification techniques—such as cloud seeding and geoengineering—to increase precipitation and cool their regions. For more than 50 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been responsible for overseeing weather modification reporting. But we found that NOAA is not fully meeting its responsibilities to provide useful, complete, and transparent information to the public. We made recommendations to help strengthen NOAA's oversight and improve information sharing.
Publication type:
policy brief
Publication language:
English
Publication date:
2026
Publication URL:
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108013
Institute:
Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics team of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) (STAA)
Country:
United States of America
Project:
Weather Modification: NOAA Should Strengthen Oversight to Ensure Reliable Information (STAA)

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