(Left) Qiao Lin, China's Chief Forecaster)
NBC is once again your source for the Olympics and the news that surrounds but you may not have seen the coverage being given worldwide to the weather for the Olympics. Truly Beiijing has gone to great lengths by erecting buildings, parks and venues for the Olympic games, but were you aware of the fact that Chinese Meteorologists have been using rain reduction science and technology to control the weather for the games?
Not only that, but the Chinese weather service is performing regular forecasts for each event around the clock in order to assist organizaers, attendees and competitors alike in monitoring the weather!
China held a rain reduction drill today to ensure that the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games next year will not be interrupted by rain.
Three planes carrying 30 technicians flew for about 3 hours within a 80 km-radius area about 8,000 meters high above Hohhot, capital city of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, spreading silver iodide and 2,800 kg of diatomite into the clouds!
Although the clouds were not as thick as expected and other weather conditions were unfavorable, the drill still collected sufficient data according to Liu Xiaolin, an official with the Inner Mongolia weather control office.
The two types of catalyzer spread aloft help to absorb vapor in the cloud and prevent it from forming precipitation. Apart from the commonly-used silver iodide, the environment-friendly diatomite, a kind of white or gray-colored mineral, was for the first time used in rain reduction in China.
The drill, overseen by weather authorities of Beijing and Inner Mongolia, was just part of the rain reduction program to be launched if needed next August, a month when Beijing is prone to rain. In addition to rain blocking above the venue area, cloud seeding will be made between 15 km to 120 km away to induce rainfall before it moves to the site of the event.
Rockets would be fired to disperse clouds in case of thunderstorms and other weather conditions that are too risky for piloted flights.
Beijing has set up 26 bases around the city to carry out rain reduction projects for the grand sports event next year. The city has been trying to improve meteorological services to serve the event, including accurate weather forecast and air quality reports.
Usually when people know they are having company they just vaccum and dust! WOW!
NBC is once again your source for the Olympics and the news that surrounds but you may not have seen the coverage being given worldwide to the weather for the Olympics. Truly Beiijing has gone to great lengths by erecting buildings, parks and venues for the Olympic games, but were you aware of the fact that Chinese Meteorologists have been using rain reduction science and technology to control the weather for the games?
Not only that, but the Chinese weather service is performing regular forecasts for each event around the clock in order to assist organizaers, attendees and competitors alike in monitoring the weather!
China held a rain reduction drill today to ensure that the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games next year will not be interrupted by rain.
Three planes carrying 30 technicians flew for about 3 hours within a 80 km-radius area about 8,000 meters high above Hohhot, capital city of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, spreading silver iodide and 2,800 kg of diatomite into the clouds!
Although the clouds were not as thick as expected and other weather conditions were unfavorable, the drill still collected sufficient data according to Liu Xiaolin, an official with the Inner Mongolia weather control office.
The two types of catalyzer spread aloft help to absorb vapor in the cloud and prevent it from forming precipitation. Apart from the commonly-used silver iodide, the environment-friendly diatomite, a kind of white or gray-colored mineral, was for the first time used in rain reduction in China.
The drill, overseen by weather authorities of Beijing and Inner Mongolia, was just part of the rain reduction program to be launched if needed next August, a month when Beijing is prone to rain. In addition to rain blocking above the venue area, cloud seeding will be made between 15 km to 120 km away to induce rainfall before it moves to the site of the event.
Rockets would be fired to disperse clouds in case of thunderstorms and other weather conditions that are too risky for piloted flights.
Beijing has set up 26 bases around the city to carry out rain reduction projects for the grand sports event next year. The city has been trying to improve meteorological services to serve the event, including accurate weather forecast and air quality reports.
Usually when people know they are having company they just vaccum and dust! WOW!
