DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have never seen weather like I have this year. And believe me when I say I have seen plenty of weather in my 92 years. I feel like I live in a jungle with the full and high trees around me.

I am sure HAARP located in Alaska has something to do with the weather. I guess we will never know, since it is guarded by the Army, the same as Area 51.

I would like to know if any other country has a HAARP facility. — D.F., Mexico

ANSWER: HAARP is not responsible for the wet, humid weather of the past few years in New England, which is sadly affecting white pines and other flora and fauna — an increase in temperatures is.

Warmer air holds more moisture (remember the old “it’s too cold to snow?”), so this trend is predicted to increase, despite an occasional anomaly such as last winter’s bitter cold. But the overall trend is apparent, with increased precipitation year-round and sultry summer days.

The New England Aquarium notes on its website (http://tinyurl.com/mubdgam) that “over the last century, the average temperature in Amherst, Massachusetts, has increased 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Precipitation has increased by up to 20 percent in many parts of the state. …

“Precipitation by 2100 is estimated to increase by about 10 percent in spring and summer, 15 percent in fall, and 20 to 60 percent in winter. The amount of precipitation on extremely wet or snowy days in winter is likely to increase while the frequency of extremely hot days in summer would also increase.”

As for HAARP — the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program — according to the NBC News’ website, the U.S. Air Force (not the Army) has notified Congress that it intends to close the facility and very little is happening there now.

From Wikipedia: “HAARP is an ionospheric research program jointly funded by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the University of Alaska, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Designed and built by BAE Advanced Technologies, its purpose is to analyze the ionosphere and investigate the potential for developing ionospheric enhancement technology for radio communications and surveillance.”

The facility is not as top secret as you might think. Wikipedia also notes that: “Scientists without security clearances, even foreign nationals, are routinely allowed on site. The HAARP facility regularly (once a year on most years, according to the HAARP home page) hosts open houses, during which time any civilian may tour the entire facility. In addition, scientific results obtained with HAARP are routinely published in major research journals (such as Geophysical Research Letters, or Journal of Geophysical Research), written both by university scientists (American and foreign) and by U.S. Department of Defense research lab scientists. Each summer, the HAARP holds a summer school for visiting students, including foreign nationals, giving them an opportunity to do research with one of the world’s foremost research instruments.”

 The program’s goals are not weather but rather communications. From NBC News: “The goal of the program is to understand the physics of the ionosphere, which is constantly responding to influences from the sun. Solar flares can send solar particles racing toward Earth, occasionally disrupting communications and the electrical grid. If scientists could better understand what happens in the ionosphere, they might be able to mitigate some of these problems.

“At a Senate hearing on May 14, David Walker, the Air Force deputy assistant secretary for science, technology and engineering said the Air Force has no interest in maintaining the site, and is moving in another direction in ionospheric research.”

Sun Spots does not know of any other similar facilities.

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