A UW atmospheric sciences professor and a research meteorologist have been named the winners of a Prize for Excellence in Weather Modification Research, awarded annually by the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization and the United Arab Emirates.

Peter Hobbs and Art Rangno will be cited "for their conscientious application of physical principles to weather modification."The award will be presented at a World Meteorological Organization event later this year, and it includes a $20,000 cash prize, a trophy and a scroll.

The award, established in 2004, contributes to the meteorological organization's long-standing interest in the possibility of beneficially modifying weather to mitigate the negative effects of events such as drought, hail and severe weather.

Rangno and Hobbs are being honored in part for their published critiques of numerous cloud-seeding experiments.

Hobbs heads the UW's Cloud and Aerosol Research Group, which has conducted research projects aimed at learning how atmospheric particles called aerosols, as well as clouds and precipitation in the atmosphere, affect weather and climate. The two have worked together for more than 20 years.