ID :
14182
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 11:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/14182
The shortlink copeid
Beijing to re-engineer weather for rain-free Oly opening gala
Beijing, July 29 (PTI) - With chances of rain playing a spoilsport during the opening gala of Beijing Olympics, China has mobilised a 32,000-strong team of people with science and engineering background and perfected satellite monitoring andcloud seeding technology to drive way clouds on August eight.
Historical data indicate a 41 percent precipitation chance on that date. Beijing is keen to avoid a repeat of what happened at the opening of 15th Asian Games in December 2006 in Doha, Qatar. In a country where rain has been rarely seen, a deluge soaked athletes and spectators during the expensiveand breathtaking opening ceremony.
The Beijing weather engineering office, under the Beijing Municipal Meteorological Bureau, is in charge of the massive 'Olympic weather modification' project, state-run Xinhuareported.
The office has been asked to prevent rain from falling during the three and half hours -- from 8:08 p.m. to around 11:30 p.m. -- onto the Bird's Nest, the open-air National Stadium which will host the opening ceremony, the state-runXinhua news agency reported.
One main strategy of the meteorologists is to engineer weather in order to keep the Olympics dry for at least the first three and half hours. Such research and experiments havebeen conducted since 2001.
A technology developed by American scientists, cloud seeding is achieved by shooting shells or rockets containing silver iodide particles into clouds. The icy particles freeze drops in the clouds, make the drops continue growing andeventually fall out of the clouds.
The weather engineering office is weaving a defensive web from adjacent provinces to the Beijing suburbs. Twenty-six control stations have been established to fend off clouds ordelay their movement.
The urgency on weather engineering for the Olympic arisesfrom the fact that the main sports venue has no roof.
Architects did include a controlled full roof in their original design. The roofless version, which now stands in north of the city, saved taxpayers 300 million yuan (USD 43million).
The office has hired 32,000 people, and recruits light aircraft, rockets and shells to spread silver iodide crystals or dry ice in clouds 50 km upwind of Beijing. Result estimates can be reported from control stations to the headquarterswithin 10 minutes.
Meteorologists need to capitalise on radars and weather satellites to monitor colossal storms, which are usuallyunpredictable, and set off early warnings.
Many meteorologists agree that cloud seeding technology is only effective to small or mid-sized clouds and thus impossible to influence giant storm systems, which can cover up to a hundred square kilometers. The methodology is employed basically to speed up rain, delay rain, or change the placewhere rain falls, one Beijing-based expert said.
Yu Xinwen, a China Meteorological Administration (C.M.A.) spokesman, said that the statistical probability of 41 percent, based on the meteorological data collected in the past 33 years, just offers a rough idea on a historical chanceof precipitation.
However, Yu said, "It's possible to predict the weather at the opening night one week in advance, and prediction accuracy will scale up leading to Aug 8." He expected moreprecise predictions within two days before the Olympics.
As historical data indicate, early August is often warm and humid, and might not be an ideal timing for the Olympic opening. Many thought the Beijing Olympic organisers deliberately chose the auspicious eighth day of the eighthmonth. However, organisers said it was not the fact.
Historical data indicate a 41 percent precipitation chance on that date. Beijing is keen to avoid a repeat of what happened at the opening of 15th Asian Games in December 2006 in Doha, Qatar. In a country where rain has been rarely seen, a deluge soaked athletes and spectators during the expensiveand breathtaking opening ceremony.
The Beijing weather engineering office, under the Beijing Municipal Meteorological Bureau, is in charge of the massive 'Olympic weather modification' project, state-run Xinhuareported.
The office has been asked to prevent rain from falling during the three and half hours -- from 8:08 p.m. to around 11:30 p.m. -- onto the Bird's Nest, the open-air National Stadium which will host the opening ceremony, the state-runXinhua news agency reported.
One main strategy of the meteorologists is to engineer weather in order to keep the Olympics dry for at least the first three and half hours. Such research and experiments havebeen conducted since 2001.
A technology developed by American scientists, cloud seeding is achieved by shooting shells or rockets containing silver iodide particles into clouds. The icy particles freeze drops in the clouds, make the drops continue growing andeventually fall out of the clouds.
The weather engineering office is weaving a defensive web from adjacent provinces to the Beijing suburbs. Twenty-six control stations have been established to fend off clouds ordelay their movement.
The urgency on weather engineering for the Olympic arisesfrom the fact that the main sports venue has no roof.
Architects did include a controlled full roof in their original design. The roofless version, which now stands in north of the city, saved taxpayers 300 million yuan (USD 43million).
The office has hired 32,000 people, and recruits light aircraft, rockets and shells to spread silver iodide crystals or dry ice in clouds 50 km upwind of Beijing. Result estimates can be reported from control stations to the headquarterswithin 10 minutes.
Meteorologists need to capitalise on radars and weather satellites to monitor colossal storms, which are usuallyunpredictable, and set off early warnings.
Many meteorologists agree that cloud seeding technology is only effective to small or mid-sized clouds and thus impossible to influence giant storm systems, which can cover up to a hundred square kilometers. The methodology is employed basically to speed up rain, delay rain, or change the placewhere rain falls, one Beijing-based expert said.
Yu Xinwen, a China Meteorological Administration (C.M.A.) spokesman, said that the statistical probability of 41 percent, based on the meteorological data collected in the past 33 years, just offers a rough idea on a historical chanceof precipitation.
However, Yu said, "It's possible to predict the weather at the opening night one week in advance, and prediction accuracy will scale up leading to Aug 8." He expected moreprecise predictions within two days before the Olympics.
As historical data indicate, early August is often warm and humid, and might not be an ideal timing for the Olympic opening. Many thought the Beijing Olympic organisers deliberately chose the auspicious eighth day of the eighthmonth. However, organisers said it was not the fact.
