The Rainmaker 2

The rainmakers
Science and technology work with nature to

bring rain when and where it is needed
A Wheat farmer Gang Liu is a worried

man. The annual rains have not arrived, and
there is a danger that unless there is
substantial rainfall soon, his annual wheat
crop will fail. As he looks anxiously at the
clouds which promise rain but are failing to
deliver it, there is a sudden loud roar, and
from fields for miles around, hundreds of
small rockets are fired into the clouds. Within
twenty minutes, the farms around the eastern
Chinese city of Luohe are experiencing their
first rain for many weeks. Gang Liu's valuable
wheat has been saved, thanks to a technique
known as 'cloud seeding', in which the
chemical silver iodide (Agl) is introduced into
clouds. This causes the tiny drops of moisture
in the clouds to turn to ice. These tiny ice
particles join until they become heavy enough
to fall from the sky, turning into rain as they
melt.
B But did cloud seeding really cause the
rain in Luohe to fall, or was it just a
Sự trùng hợp ngẫu nhiên
coincidence? Experts often question whether

cloud seeding actually works. It is hard to tell
how effective cloud seeding actually is, they
say, as it might have rained anyway, without
human intervention. But this has not stopped
many governments and organisations from
trying. There are currently 150 weather-
modifying projects taking place in more than
không pải tất cả
40 countries. Not all of them are aimed at

creating rain. The Eastlund Scientific
Enterprises Corporation in the USA, for
example, is experimenting with firing
microwaves into clouds to prevent the
gây ra
tornadoes which cause enormous damage to

thiệt hại to lớn
the country every year. In Russia, experiments

have been carried out to make sure the sun
shines during important national events.
C However, it is rainmaking that
thống trị
dominates the research programmes. In many

of these, researchers are using trials in which
some clouds are 'seeded' while others are quan sát
not, and both groups are monitored. Arlen

Huggins of the Desert Research Institute is
leading a research project in Australia.
Weather-monitoring technology is so good
nowadays, he says, that we can measure
clouds much more effectively, even from the
inside. As a result, we now know much more
about the effect humans can have on the
weather. What Huggins' team has discovered
so far is promising. They believe that cloud
seeding does work, although there are still
two years of the six-year project left to go.
D In China, where the majority of cloud-

seeding operations take place, weather-
modification authorities use army rockets to
fire silver-iodide particles into the clouds.
39,000 staff working for the China
Meteorological Administration (CMA) are
equipped with 7,113 army cannons which, in
2006, were used to fire a million silver-iodide
rockets into the atmosphere. This costs over
$100 million a year, although the CMA claims
the results are worth the expense. Between
1999 and 2006, they say, cloud seeding
produced 250 billion metric tonnes of rain and
prevented thousands of farmers from losing
their crops.
E "We want to understand what makes
clouds rain," says Philip Brown of the UK
Meteorological office, explaining why so much
time, effort and money are being invested.
"But there is a more powerful economic
reason. A lot of countries around the world
are at risk from drought, and governments will
try anything to make sure that doesn't
happen, even if the scientific evidence is
weak. The potential economic value is greater
nền kinh tế tiềm năng
than the scientific value. Making it rain might

allow you to keep agriculture going where,
without human intervention, it might fail." can thiệp
F Some people are concerned, however,

lo lắng/ liên quan
that altering the weather can have negative

biến đổi thời tiêtd
consequences. Leonard Barrie, director of the

hệ quả
research department at the World

bộ phận nghiên
Meteorological Organisation in Geneva,

explains why. "All areas of weather
modification are still very controversial. Some
tranh cãi
chuyển hướng nước
people think that diverting water for irrigation

Nước tới
benefits some people, but is a disadvantage

to others. Someone in one area will get more
water, but as a result, someone somewhere
else could get less." His fears may be
justified. Recently, the town of Zhoukou in
chính đáng
China's Henan province accused Bị cáo buộc
neighbouring town Pingdingshan of 'stealing'

thị trấn lân cận
do
rain from clouds that were due to pass over its

thúc đẩy
own farms, prompting what may be the

world's very first documented incident of 'rain
sự cố
rage'.

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The rainmakers

Science and technology work with nature to

A Wheat farmer Gang Liu is a worried

coincidence? Experts often question whether

40 countries. Not all of them are aimed at

tornadoes which cause enormous damage to

the country every year. In Russia, experiments

dominates the research programmes. In many

not, and both groups are monitored. Arlen

D In China, where the majority of cloud-

than the scientific value. Making it rain might

F Some people are concerned, however,

that altering the weather can have negative

consequences. Leonard Barrie, director of the

research department at the World

Meteorological Organisation in Geneva,

chuyển hướng nước

people think that diverting water for irrigation

benefits some people, but is a disadvantage

China's Henan province accused Bị cáo buộc

neighbouring town Pingdingshan of 'stealing'

rain from clouds that were due to pass over its

own farms, prompting what may be the

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