Organizers of the 2008 Summer Olympics have said they will try to take control over the most unpredictable element of all — the weather.

Wang Jianjie, a spokeswoman from the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, addressing a news conference at the headquarters of the Beijing organizing committee, said, ‘Our team is trained. Our preparations are complete.’

That does not, however, mean that the team can control the weather. But it can do more than any other comparable scientific establishment.

China is among the world’s leaders in ‘weather modification’ but with more experience creating rain than preventing it. In fact, the techniques are virtually the same.

Cloud-seeding is a relatively well-known practice that involves shooting various substances into clouds, such as silver iodide, salts and dry ice, that bring on the formation of larger raindrops, triggering a downpour. But Chinese scientists believe they have perfected a technique that reduces the size of the raindrops, delaying the rain until the clouds move on.

The weather modification would be used only on a small area, opening what would be in effect a meteorological umbrella over the 91,000-seat Olympic stadium.

Wang Yubin, an engineer from the meteorological bureau said, ‘This is really a very complex process in terms of selecting the place and the time. Probably we will have to decide one day before or very close to the event.’
Source: LA Times