Blog
Featured researchers
March 15, 2023
The snow-inducing technique called cloud-seeding has been around for more than 60 years. Although not a panacea for drought-stricken regions, cloud-seeding can increase seasonal precipitation by about 10%. In the Reno area alone, winter cloud-seeding efforts are estimated to add enough water to supply about 40,000 households for a year.
Cloud Seeding Program What is Cloud Seeding? Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals that form when water vapor in the atmosphere cools and condenses around a tiny particle of dust or salt floating in the...
Blog
Featured researchers
June 14, 2023
DRI researchers are examining the potential for climate intervention techniques to help cool communities – and the planet
Announcements
News releases
June 26, 2023
The Nevada State Legislature has unanimously passed a measure aimed at funding a statewide cloud seeding project. The appropriation of $1.2M over two years will be allocated to DRI for its multi-location cloud seeding research and operations.
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Research Projects Research on Snowfall AugmentationOperational weather modification projects to augment snowfall have benefitted from the results of numerous research experiments that have...
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Operations Criteria The following weather and cloud conditions should exist in order to initiate or continue cloud seeding operations in any area where DRI has a seeding project. Operations...
Cloud Seeding Program Program Description During the early 1960s, scientists from the Desert Research Institute (DRI) helped to pioneer the science of wintertime cloud seeding, developing research-based methods for increasing...
Announcements
News releases
September 1, 2022
Save Red Rock is partnering with DRI to fund a cloud seeding program which will augment precipitation in the Spring Mountains, helping to replenish the aquifers within the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
Advanced Autonomous Systems Pioneering Research with UAS Technology Researchers at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) are exploring ways in which unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are increasingly being used in civilian...
Blog
Featured researchers
November 16, 2022
Research Professor Jim Hudson, Ph.D., DRI’s longest-serving employee, recently retired from DRI after 51 years studying cloud physics.
Blog
Featured projects
January 29, 2019
Created in 2013 by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Knowledge Fund spurs research, innovation, and commercialization in Nevada. Thanks to support from the Knowledge Fund, researchers across the Silver...
Donor Stories
DRI is grateful for the ongoing generous support by the William N. Pennington Foundation for DRI’s cloud seeding projects in Northern Nevada for the 2021 and 2022 winters.
Events
Join us on Thursday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at the Downtown Reno Library for our Science Distilled – Story of Water Part 2.
Blog
Featured researchers
February 20, 2019
Jim Hudson, Ph.D., is a research professor of physics with the Division of Atmospheric Sciences at the Desert Research Institute in Reno. Jim specializes in cloud physics, and has worked throughout his career to gather and...
The Statistical data analysis and Modeling of Atmosphere for Research and AI Technology (SMART) Lab studies Earth’s atmosphere and climate.
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Safety Guidelines In the event of any emergency which affects public welfare in the region of any seeding operations being carried on by the DRI Cloud Seeding Program, the seeding operations...
Cloud Seeding Program Cloud Seeding Equipment and Services The DRI Cloud Seeding Program is operated from the Desert Research Institute Division of Atmospheric Sciences, located in the Northern Nevada Science Center (NNSC),...
Research Areas – Laboratories, Programs, Projects and Facilities Air Quality Labs and Facilities Aerosol Physics Laboratory ASTER Laboratory Combustion Chamber Dust Entrainment and Characterization Facility Environmental...
Cloud Seeding Program Current Cloud Seeding Operations Winter 2023-2024 For details on a specific project, follow the links below. Nevada State projects State NV Carson Basin State NV Ruby Mountains State NV Santa Rosa Mountains...
DRI’s History A 60-year history of impact and innovation across Nevada and around the world. In 1959, the Nevada State Legislature passed NRS396.7951, creating a division of the University of Nevada specifically devoted to...
Blog
Featured projects
September 4, 2018
Photo caption: Prototype sky-imaging camera. Credit: Eric Wilcox. By: Jane Palmer Reno, NV (September 1, 2018) – Solar energy is a clean and renewable energy source, but integrating solar power into the grid is not...
Blog
Featured projects
October 24, 2018
Visit DRI’s Northern Nevada campus on a clear afternoon, and you may hear a near-deafening buzzing. A massive swarm of bees? Thankfully, no—it’s an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), or drone, being flown by researchers from...
Maki Endowment Maki Research Projects The Maki Endowment has been used to fund research projects that are relevant to Southern Nevada water issues. A list of past Maki projects is below. Display (none) Your content goes here....
News releases
Research findings
March 14, 2018
Detailed photographs help local scientists understand regional storms, collect weather data Reno, NV (Wednesday, March 14, 2018): No two snow crystals are alike, an old saying goes – and this winter, students, and adults from...
News releases
Research findings
December 7, 2017
Reno, NV (Thursday, December 7, 2017): Working with large environmental datasets is a complex and time-consuming endeavor, often requiring huge amounts of data storage, specialized high-performance computers and technical...
Integrated Terrain Analysis Program Field Equipment Field Equipment & Capabilities The Integrated Terrain Analysis Program utilizes a wide range of field equipment and instrumentation for characterizing soil properties,...
Trace Chemistry/Ice Core Laboratory Lab Description DRI’s Trace Chemistry Laboratory was established in 1967 specifically to provide support for monitoring and assessing the impacts of the cloud seeding activities...
Cloud Seeding Program DRI Sponsors and Partners in Water Resource Enhancement Research Across the West Cloud Seeding Program What is Cloud Seeding? Current Operations Operating Criteria Safety Guidelines Equipment and...
ASTER Laboratory Lab Description The Airborne Systems Testing and Environmental Research (ASTER) Laboratory at the Desert Research Institute conducts and facilitates the development and use of unmanned aircraft, payloads, and...
News releases
Research findings
May 28, 2021
A new study in Science Advances features ice core data from the DRI Ice Core Laboratory and research by Nathan Chellman, Ph.D., Monica Arienzo, Ph.D., and Joe McConnell, Ph.D.
Announcements
News releases
April 4, 2023
DRI, in partnership with the Springs Preserve, announces the launch of DRI Science at the Springs. In the series, which launches on April 20, DRI scientists and other guests address some of the world’s most urgent concerns while also telling the tale of what it means to live in Nevada on the front lines of a changing climate.
Aerosol Physics Laboratory Lab Description The Aerosol Physics Lab (APL) is primarily concerned with measurement and characterization of the particles upon which cloud droplets condense. These cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are...
Announcements
News releases
November 15, 2018
Please join us for the Celebration of Life for Dr. John Hallett on Monday, December 17th from 3pm-5pm in the DRI Stout Conference Center, located at 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512. Please RSVP to Britt Chapman by Monday,...
High Performance Computational Services (HPCS) High Performance Computational Services (HPCS) DRI’s High Performance Computational Services (HPCS) team offers cost effective, responsive, adaptable, and technologically...
Western States Water Use Program Program Description The quantification of consumptive water use via evapotranspiration ET is required for basin water balance estimates, for estimating streamflow and groundwater depletion...
Blog
Featured researchers
September 28, 2020
Matt Bromley, M.S., is an Assistant Research Scientist with the Division of Hydrologic Sciences at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, and specializes in GIS and remote sensing. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and a M.S. in Geography from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a native Nevadan, an Army veteran, and has been a member of the DRI community for ten years.
Announcements
News releases
October 21, 2021
Desert Research Institute scientists led by Dr. Justin Huntington have been working in collaboration with NASA, EDF, Google, HabitatSeven, and others to launch a new online water data platform, OpenET, to help 17 western states develop more resilient water supplies amid record drought.
Announcements
News releases
May 8, 2023
ClimateEngine.org allows researchers and natural resource managers to easily analyze and visualize complex satellite and climate data, helping users understand change
in Earth’s landscapes over time
About DRI Impactful Science, Inspiring Solutions The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is a recognized world leader in basic and applied environmental research. Committed to scientific excellence and integrity, DRI faculty,...
3000 years of carbon monoxide records show positive impact of global intervention in the 1980s Nov 27, 2023An international team of scientists have assembled the first complete record of carbon monoxide concentrations in the...
Atmospheric Sciences Atmospheric Sciences The Division of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) conducts basic and applied research and provides services related to air quality and associated health risks, cloud and aerosol physics,...
Blog
Featured projects
November 30, 2018
“I knew our research institutions were doing solar energy research, but I didn’t realize how much they were doing,” said Nevada State Assemblyman Chris Brooks in welcoming attendees to the “Solar Nexus: Nevada’s Research...
MISSION SUPPORT GEOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING Mission Support encompasses DRI’s broad range of expertise for supporting the mission needs of the U.S. Dept. of Defense and the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s underground testing assessment,...
Spatial Analysis Capabilities Lab Description The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is recognized for significant applications of spatial data (geographic information systems (GIS) and remotely sensed data) to address...
Scaling Environmental Processes in Heterogeneous Arid Soils (SEPHAS) Program Description The SEPHAS research program was established in 2005 to study environmental processes and properties of arid soil. Core parts of SEPHAS are...
Nevada Water Resources Research Institute NWRRI Funded Projects The following ventures are the most recently funded projects by NWRRI. This work is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Grant/Cooperative Agreement No....
Center for International Water and Sustainability DRI-Liberia Capacity Building Program CIWAS is supporting the Liberian government to help develop national water quality monitoring capacity. CIWAS hosted a training and...
Center for International Water and Sustainability Water Resource Management, Climate Change, and Water Security Leveraging the expertise of DRI faculty, CIWAS is expanding DRI’s work to effectively manage water resources and...
Innovation Research Program ADVANCING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, APPLYING SOLUTIONS TO OUR TOUGHEST CHALLENGES. The DRI Foundation created the Innovation Research Program (IRP) to increase the opportunities for DRI’s faculty...
Blog
Featured projects
November 22, 2019
DRI is a non-profit, which means that we rely on financial support from donors to make our projects possible. Thanks to individual contributions from community members, seed grants were awarded to eight teams of DRI researchers...