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3/5/14 1:11 PM
HOW CLOUD SEEDING WORKS 1. Silver iodide is fired into cloud using flares on planes or from the ground 2. Water droplets then attach to these particles 3. They fall as snow if surface temperatures are below or near freezing, or as raindrops at warmer temperatures 4. Heat released as the droplets freeze boosts updrafts, which pull more moist air into the cloud Despite the use of the cloud seeding technique, many scientists remain sceptical of its effectiveness
In February, snow fell after the authorities seeded clouds over Beijing in an attempt to alleviate the dry conditions. However, many scientists - particularly in the UK - remain highly sceptical of the effectiveness of cloud seeding. Even if it is theoretically possible, one of the problems for proponents has been to demonstrate that a rainfall or snowfall was caused by the seeding or simply occurred spontaneously. In addition to cloud seeding, the government is building a huge network of tunnels and waterways that will funnel water from the south to the north, but the project is still five years from completion.
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3/5/14 1:11 PM
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