The dream of a person to take control over natural phenomena from a once fantastic idea is gradually turning into reality. Making it rain where it needs to be, or, conversely, dispelling the clouds is a troublesome task, but possible. How is artificial rain produced? We will talk about this further.
Why do we need rain?
Streams of water pouring from the sky, or just a light drizzle causes a mixed reaction. Someone curses him because of a broken walk, someone because of a dirty car or shoes. For some, the rain ruined the holiday, for others it ruined the make-up. But if we ignore minor troubles, we all wait for the summer rain to feel its coolness, catch the smell of freshness, wander through the puddles after the exhausting heat or watch the downpour from the window. Water is life, it is not in vain that a cloud suddenly crying during an important event is considered a good omen, and a long absence of rain, drought is already becoming a natural disaster. Can it be artificially made to rain? Scientists answer: it is possible. And you needwhether?
Why make it rain?
The problem of water supply is one of the urgent and paramount in the world. Due to low rainfall, 20% of the world's population does not have access to drinking water. Areas that constantly suffer from droughts are doomed to crop failure and famine. For this reason, the question of how artificial rain can be produced has been of concern to mankind since the dawn of agriculture. This problem, like many others, was solved with the help of priests, shamans, prayers and special rites, sometimes even a human sacrifice to the god of rain. It happened that precipitation, indeed, sometimes fell after that. Installations that allow rain to be made on demand would significantly solve the problem of replenishing the water balance.
Another task is large-scale forest fires. A good torrential and lingering downpour would replace a lot of firefighters and special equipment.
History of rain research
For a very long time it was believed that you can make a cloud shed tears by shaking the air. Probably, these conclusions were made on the basis of the accompanying showers by thunderstorms and wind. How was artificial rain produced before the 20th century, when prayers and sacrifices did not help? Or rather, they tried to call. In Italy, cannons fired across the sky. The idea was given by the famous sculptor Benvenutto Cellini. The French believed that the clouds could be brought closer with the help of a loud bell ringing. The farmers of America went out together in dry periods and fired their guns. Funny? Butsuch a theory was supported by many eminent American scientists. Daniel Riggles proposed to make a powder charge explosion right in the air, rising in a balloon, and even patented his invention. Employees of the Ministry of Agriculture were seriously engaged in improving the method, tried various explosives, changed the height of the explosions. Sometimes it rained, sometimes it didn't, sometimes it did, but not in the right place.
Adventurous versions
Since the official science had not said its word by that time, a wide variety of rumors circulated and original ideas were given out about how to cause artificial rain.
- The amount of precipitation increases the current flowing through the rails and wires.
- Rain falls where the land is plowed.
- Precipitation attracts forests.
- Some chemicals can cause rain.
The rich were ready to pay a lot of money for the rainfall over their lands to fall when needed. The “chemical version” took root quite successfully and was even financed, until it was discovered that an ordinary barometer was installed in the installation that the “inventor” demonstrated. This explained the reason for the success of the chemical device.
How people manage rain
The first successful experiments to create artificial clouds were carried out only in the 40s of the twentieth century. The problem of weather control does not cease to be acute and relevant. Human activity has led to climate change in many regions. Fourtythree countries in the world are working to make it rain where it needs to be, and to tame the raging torrents of natural downpours. The most active activity in this direction is carried out in China. In the Celestial Empire, 35 thousand people work on rain development. And this is not surprising. The use of vast desert areas would solve many problems in this densely populated country. The ability to fly above the clouds made it easier to "contact" with them. Aircraft with special equipment on board are used to work on changing the weather. The important point is not only to make it rain, but also to break the clouds with hail, to make them give up moisture without harming the crops.
How to "squeeze out" the clouds?
Effective science-based methods to change the weather are already in place. How is artificial rain produced in practice?
- The very first rain was obtained by seeding cold cumulus clouds with silver iodide or carbon dioxide. These substances are able to create crystals and collect water, which then turns into raindrops. Warm clouds are treated with sodium chloride. Substances are sprayed over the clouds or delivered to the cloud by a rocket, where they explode. This is how the American army caused prolonged downpours during the fighting in Vietnam.
- Experimenting with loud sounds was on the right track. Acoustic waves really lead to the shift of raindrops to the maximum size, only their strength and duration must be very powerful. Create a stronga sound wave and bring it to the clouds are capable of specially designed acoustic installations. The principle of their operation is a vertical shock wave, which is formed as a result of combustion in the combustible mixture chamber. Installations with such guns are also called anti-hail. Their action is able to disperse the accumulation of ice and make it rain.
New latest developments of Swiss scientists - air ionizers. These facilities are huge structures in which electrons are emitted when exposed to high voltage. Tested in the desert, a contrivance of 100 of these ionizers produced rain in the absence of clouds and high temperatures
How it is used in practice
Various rainfall management techniques are used in the modern world in places of increased aridity to increase the area of sown land in China, Australia, the USA. The powerful ionizers mentioned above create an artificial tropical climate in the Emirates, not far from Abu Dhabi. For the pleasure of contemplating a real downpour with thunder and lightning, the sheikhs paid $11 million.
In Russia, artificially caused rain in the Baikal region, to help extinguish a large-scale fire. In this case, clouds were seeded from aircraft.
Precipitation on request. Good or bad?
Numerous experiments ended successfully. Mankind has learned to disperse the clouds and create them at will. Whyartificial rain is not caused wherever necessary? At the moment, pleasure is not cheap. But the most important thing is that a discovery created to make people's lives easier can be very easily redirected to harm them. Rain that spills in one place will leave another dry, and vice versa, dispersed clouds over the venue of an event will pour out their reserves three times in the other direction. Cases are already known when imitations of natural phenomena, including actions with precipitation, were used, and successfully, in military operations. Artificial showers, thunderstorms, landslides, tsunamis - how many lives they can take in the hands of soulless businessmen. Nature reveals its secrets to mankind, but does not like to be used thoughtlessly.
