06
Climate
RUSSIA INDIA REPORT
BOOKMARKS www.meteorf.ru/en_default.aspx Federal service for hydrometeorol-
ogy and environmental monitoring
IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA, RUSSIA
www.ipcc.ch Intergovernmental panel on climate change
THE ECONOMIC TIMES WEDNESDAY_MARCH 18_2009 www.wmo.int/pages World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Technology The power of science knows no boundaries; leading Environment Scientists have presented a new climate strategy
experts are coming together to create beneficial climatic change
Will there be tropical fruits
We can control
in Siberia within 50 years?
Russian scientists have tures will continue to rise
predicted possible and, as a result, the heating
the weather!
consequences of global season will be three or four
warming for Russia, 50 years days shorter even by 2015.
from now. The first Evaluation Experts believe wildfires
Report on Climate Change and and fl oods will become more
its Impact on Russia was frequent. Global warming
presented in February by the might cause the Caspian Sea
Russian Academy of Sciences to rise and flood coastal
and the Federal Service for towns and facilities.
Hydrometeorology and The report says: “fl ood risk
Environmental Monitoring should be taken into account
(Rosgidromet). in long-term infrastructure
planning for the Caspian
DIMITRY KOSAREV
coastal regions in Russia, in-
RIA NOVOSTI cluding Astrakhan, Dag-
estan and Kalmykia”. Scien-
The report highlights a sub- tists remember that the rate
stantial acceleration of the of Caspian surface warming
rise in temperature observed soared fi ve- to tenfold at the
over the last 25 years. The ef- end of the twentieth century
fects of climate change are and wrought marked envi-
already obvious in harsh ronmental and economic RUSLAN KRIVOBOK_RIA-NOVOSTI
droughts, wildfires and havoc by 1995. A researcher collects data on climate change at a meterological
fl oods all over the world. station in central Russia
Russia, however, has out- Arctic access
paced other countries tem- Protracted hot weather car-
perature-wise. Both its ries an added risk of a high-
Asian and European regions er incidence of mosquito and RIR Dossier: Rosgidromet
have seen a rise of 0.5-0.6 de- tick-born infections. Yet cli-
grees over the last 10 years, mate change will bring more
with West Siberia warming than just disease and natu- On 23 March 2009, Russia mental Monitoring Service
up only slightly more slowly ral disasters. Studies based will mark the Day of the Rus- (Rosgidromet) headed by Al-
(0.4 degrees). An increasing- on climate models show Arc- sian Hydrometeorological exander Bedritsky, who is al-
ly warmer climate may af- tic melting is very likely to Service for the first time. The so the President of the World
fect all aspects of our lives. gain in intensity and the decision to commemorate this Meteorological Organisation
The problem has gradually polar seas will be complete- day was taken in May 2008. (WMO), which unites the na-
left the realm of science fi c- ly ice-free during summers In April 1834, a Normal Mag- tional weather services of
tion and became a social, po- in the foreseeable future. netic-Meteorological Observ- about 200 countries.
litical and economic factor, “Some distinguished re- atory was founded in St Pe- The Russian Hydrometeoro-
as climate change exerts a searchers argue in their pa- tersburg under the “Imperial logical Centre is a research
wide-ranging impact on in- pers that this may happen as Decree” which had the pow- branch of Rosgidromet in
VLADIMIR SMIRNOV_ITAR-TASS dustry, farming, and our eve- early as the 2020s,”says er of a law and was signed charge of weather forecast-
ryday lives in general. Vladimir Katzov, Director of by Emperor Nicholas I. Rus- ing. It is one of WMO’s three
Voeikov Main Geophysical sia now has the Federal Hy- World Meteorological Centres
People think being able to years when the Sun is calm formation of clouds at an al- Areas of influence Weathernomics Observatory, which is part of drometeorology and Environ- (WMC-Moscow).
control the weather is a the fl ow of rays reaching the titude of several kilometres. The process can also be ap- “The Russian economy is Rosgidromet. “We are al-
fantasy, something for the atmosphere is greater. Depending on the sign and plied in a different direction. part of the global economy ready observing a dramatic
future. But in Russia, there are How do cosmic rays interact scale of the potential, this In the event of intense rain- and if we fail to address this shrinking of ice cover across
experts who are already with the Earth’s atmosphere? process can be accelerated or fall, reducing the quantity of challenge, Russian [food] the Northern Hemisphere polar bears, whose popula- of the Global Climate and
controlling it today. Moreover, The high-energy protons, of decelerated, and it is also ions in the atmosphere makes products will seriously dete- and the Arctic. On one hand, tion is already rapidly dwin- Ecology Institute, a think-
they are laying the which cosmic rays largely possible to “disperse” the it possible to disperse the riorate and lose out to for- the receding ice will unlock dling. tank of Rosgidromet and the
groundwork for mastering a consist, ionise air molecules. clouds, thereby creating clouds – and this is what ion- eign competition,” warns Al- access to offshore hydrocar- Russian Academy of Scienc-
range of geophysical The ions produced become cloudless weather. The proc- ising appliances can do. exander Bedritskiy, head of bon development and make Shifting crop patterns es, notes that this depends on
processes and even the centres of water vapour con- esses of condensation and Consider the disastrous fi res Rosgidromet. it considerably cheaper. On Scientists are less confi dent precipitation: “If warming is
Earth’s climate. This article densation. The molecular evaporation cause heat to be in California or Australia. If Over the next 50 years, the the other, such serious cli- in their predictions regard- associated with increased
takes a look at regulated clusters grow by attracting in- emitted or absorbed, which these appliances had been Russian climate will become mate change might jeopard- ing the agricultural impact precipitation, it will enhance
ionisation. creasing numbers of water means it is possible to artifi - available there, although it considerably warmer. The ise the Arctic ecosystem.”In of global warming. Sergey average crop yields across
molecules, as a result of which cially change the tempera- might not be possible to ex- winter and spring tempera- particular, they will affect Semyonov, Deputy Director Russia”. Interestingly, crops
SERGEY POULINETZ
clouds form. The heavier the ture, including inside a cloud, tinguish the fi res completely, in the fertile southern Rus-
MOSCOW cloud cover, the less direct bringing it to “dew point” and artifi cial rain could have sig- sia (Black-Soil Belt) will fall
solar radiation reaches the inducing precipitation. nifi cantly weakened the scale by 10-13 pc, while its less
How it works Earth’s surface, and the less When a high electrical poten- of casualties and physical
RIR Dossier: global warming disagreements
bountiful north (Non-Black-
As far back as the 1920s, the cool it is at the surface. Dan- tial is applied to the appli- damage. Conversely, in the Soil Belt) will yield 11-29 pc
great Russian naturalist Ale- ish scientists have demon- ance’s wires it makes the ions event of fl oods due to intense more. Farmland will in-
ksandr Chizhevskiy pointed strated a 95 pc correlation be- move upwards, away from its rainfall, it would be possible James Hansen, who heads the ety of Great Britain. There are 1998... Climate changes natu- crease in overall area and
out the interaction between tween the area of global cloud surface. Along the way, the to substantially reduce the NASA Goddard Institute for individual researchers, how- rally all the time, partly in pre- will be able to support
solar activity and various cover and the variation in fl ow ions pick up molecules of precipitation that caused the Space Studies, was among ever - even within the above dictable cycles, and partly in warm-weather crops in the
natural processes on Earth, of galactic cosmic rays. water vapour, which leads to fl oods. the first to discern the link be- organisations - who disagree, unpredictable shorter rhythms north and tropical ones in
including the weather. He Of course, there can also be the formation of clouds at an One further area of use for tween global warming and hu- either completely or partially, and rapid episodic shifts, the south.
also drew attention to the artificial sources of atmos- altitude of several kilometres. this technology is purifying man activity. In his testimony with the conventional views on some of the causes of which Yet, even in the most opti-
role of ions in the atmosphere pheric ionisation. Chi zhev- Additional adjustments to the air in polluted cities. Ra- before the US Senate in 1988, what is causing global warm- remain unknown. We are for- mistic scenario, farmers will
and their ability to absorb skiy showed that fi ne metal the appliance’s potential even diation from special anten- the physicist said he was 99 ing. Many point out there is no tunate that our modern socie- face one more threat: the ex-
moisture. Today, ionisers that spikes supplied with a high make it possible to change the nae can change the electrical pc confident that people them- such thing as a global climate, ties have developed during the plosion of locust and potato
purify the air can be found in electrical potential can be temperature of “dew point” charge in the atmosphere, selves were responsible for so reference to any common in- last 10,000 years of benignly beetle populations, along
many homes. The prototype very efficient ionisers. within the cloud and to insti- thereby filling it with ions the greenhouse effect. dicators does not make sense. warm, interglacial climate. But with some new pest species.
for these was the so-called This idea was taken up by the gate precipitation. and killing microbes. Humankind is recognised as They also emphasise recent for more than 90 pc of the last “This will be a critical issue
“Chizhevskiy chandelier”, Russian physicist Lev the culprit of global climate data from weather satellites, two million years, the climate for Stavropol and Kuban,
designed back in the twen- Pokhmelnykh, who created Proven in practice Let’s dream change by most major scientific which have registered a slight has been colder, and generally the major grain producers,”
ties. This “chandelier” bore an appliances that could gener- The theory has not remained At the beginning of this arti- associations around the world, cooling. much colder, than today. The Semyonov adds.
outward resemblance to the ate ion streams over large simply a theory. The Russian cle we talked about a mild ef- such as the European Academy Three years ago, the Sunday reality of the climate record is There is no stopping the im-
lighting chandeliers that areas. physicist succeeded in prac- fect on the weather by means of Sciences and Arts, the Royal Telegraph published an ar- that a sudden natural cooling pending climate change in
were common in those days, tically proving its effective- of regulated ionisation. So Society of New Zealand, the UK ticle by Professor Bob Cart- is far more to be feared - and the next 50 years. According
but instead of producing The appliances ness. After moving to Mexico, what does this mean? Very Institute of Biology, the Euro- er of James Cook University will do infinitely more social to Vladimir Katsov, current
light, it emitted a stream of A very fi ne wire can be imag- Pokhmelnykh set up a com- often countries that rely on pean Federation of Geologists, in Australia, who argues that and economic damage - than policymaking will shape the
electrons which combined ined as a combination of a pany that over a period of agricultural produce for the the US Geological Society, and “There is a problem with glo- the late 20th century phase of environmental situation in
with oxygen molecules to very large number of points. more than 10 years success- bulk of their national prod- the Royal Meteorological Soci- bal warming... it stopped in gentle warming.” the second half of the 21st
form negatively charged ox- The longer the wire, the more fully infl uenced the weather uct, such as India, fi nd them- century.
-
ygen ions. intensive is the stream of ions and the climate with the aid selves hostage to the whims
Scientific developments at entering the atmosphere and of these appliances. In par- of the weather. Protracted
the end of the twentieth cen- the more efficient is the ap- ticular, artifi cial rainfall was rains during the period when
tury also shed light on one of pliance. There are various induced in dry regions of crops are ripening, or drought
the mechanisms of the Sun’s ways of designing the appli- northern Mexico, which led during the vegetation period,
infl uence on the weather. The ance itself, but the main ob- to an increase in agricultural can often lead to humanitar-
Clearing the path for collaboration
Russian scientists Pudovkin jective is to increase the area productivity. ian disasters and leave whole
and Raspopov demonstrated generating ions. A high elec- The technology proved to be areas of the country with no
the importance of the infl u- trical potential is applied to so effective that in the past harvest. These appliances can
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
dation of technology and international nanotechnol- tomisation process for new
ence of galactic cosmic rays the wire, which can be lower two years it has been used to help make the weather less full-scale document sup- ogy congress to be held in technology and identify ways
on the Earth’s atmosphere or higher than the potential put out fi res over large areas capricious by “prompting” One such programme is the port,” says Dr Kumar. India on 14-15 April, with in- of putting tailored or original
and the role of solar activity of the corona discharge. This in the Yucatan peninsula at the right levels and periods of Global Innovation & Tech- He also spoke of the need to vitees including Rosnano and technological solutions to
in modulating the flow of potential causes the ions of the request of the govern- rain and sunny weather. This nology Alliance (GITA), es- partner with newly emerged many Russian researchers in commercial use.
rays reaching the atmos- that sign to rise from its sur- ment of Mexico. kind of regulation will make tablished by the Ministry of Russian entities, particularly that fi eld. “That is where we In Dr Kumar’s words, talks to
phere. At times of enhanced face. As already noted, the Pokhmelnykh’s former col- it possible to achieve guaran- Science and Technology to- the Rosnano and Ros- expect to conclude talks on establish the centre have
solar activity, the stronger ions are centres of water va- leagues in Russia did not for- teed harvests.
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gether with the Confedera- tekhnologii corporations. nanotechnological develop- been under way for more
solar wind and magnetic fi eld pour condensation. As they get what he had taught them, tion of Indian Industry. The In recent years, India has wit- ment, which started during than a year.“Russia insists on
in the Earth’s magnetosphere rise under the infl uence of the and over a number of years Sergey Poulinetz is Chief Re- primary goal of the pro- nessed major growth in the my current visit to Moscow.” a project-by-project ap-
have the effect of partially electrical fi eld, they grow to the technology was applied in search Fellow at the Institute gramme is to step up this co- range of nanotechnology ap- Dr Kumar also believes in the proach, while we would pre-
slowing and deflecting the the size of embryonic drops, the Krasnodar region, result- of Applied Physics, Rosgid- operation and ensure greater plications seen as a top prior- continued relevance of other fer to start with development
fl ow of cosmic rays, while in which eventually leads to the ing in increased harvests. romet. consistency of joint efforts. ity. A special nanotech pro- aspects of Indo-Russian co- of a framework. A one-step-
“Speaking of Russia, we will gramme was initiated three operation, primarily in the at-a-time arrangement does
stick to the plan for estab- years ago with a budget of energy sector and healthcare. not strike us as highly effi-
lishing a Technology Clear- nearly $200 mn. It involves “We already have an impres- cient, owing, among other
rier rocket from an Indian ing House, which will help us over 40 R&D institutes and sive track record in these things, to project financing
Space research remains a
launching site”. The tentative to share information and may the infrastructure required fi elds. A joint Russian-Indian uncertainties,” he observed.
date of the Indian cosmo- be part of GITA. A centre of for this research. centre for TB vaccine devel- Moreover, the absence of a
nauts’ fl ight is 2015. this kind would help stream- “Russia keeps up with India opment is a good example. clearing house hampers our
priority for years to come
India is cooperating closely line the application of Rus- in this field. That is why we This initiative was designed ability to ensure intellectual
with Russia in the develop- sian technology solutions have chosen ‘nano’ as one of to benefi t needy people and property compliance and to
ment of space programmes. across Indian industries and the top priorities for both the proved effective in the cam- curb attempts at illegal use of
In designing its spaceships facilitate efficient paperwork ILTP and GITA,” Dr Kumar paign against tuberculosis, technology.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
are now solving concrete is- the ISRO representative an- and carrier rockets, the In- management, including vali- notes. He also mentioned an one of the scourges of today’s “We have arranged to set up
sues: how to share the work nounced dian Space Agency draws world. We continue to see the two parallel centres for de-
The ISRO expects to cooper- and determine the composi- Indian specialists are expect- extensively on Russian tech- development of affordable velopment of new projects”.
ate with Roskosmos on the tion of the payload.” ed to take part in interna- nologies. For example, the vaccines and economical He pointed out that workable
Chandrayaan-2 project Shantan Dekor of the ISRO tional missions to Mars in engine of the top stage of the power supply for the public interaction mechanisms
which will use an Indian said during the video link 2030. GSLV Mark 1 carrier rocket as priorities in work with our would provide for a stronger
GSLV carrier rocket to deliv- that the fi rst Indian cosmo- The fi rst all-Indian crew may which orbits Indian satel- Russian colleagues.” competitive position of both
er a spaceship consisting of naut may land on the Moon go on a space mission aboard lites was made available by He admits that joint techni- countries in the global high-
an orbital and a landing by 2025. a Russian space vehicle. Dur- the Russian Federation. cal research is hampered by tech market.
lunar modules to the Moon “We have no immediate ing his trip to Russia, Mr Nair In fact, Madhavan Nair’s the lack of an appropriate in- “I hope that, as part of the
round about 2012. plans to send a man to the was quoted by the Roskos- visit to Moscow was devoted frastructure and implemen- current Year of India in Rus-
“Chandrayaan -2 will deliver Moon. We shall first put a mos press service as saying, to the Russian-Indian space tation mechanisms. A brand sia, we shall be able to iden-
to the Moon a landing craft satellite (Chandrayaan-2 “We expect that the Indian programme, in line with the new approach to India-Rus- tify new prospects and over-
and moon rover,” Mr Nair ex- project) into a low orbit cosmonauts will make their agreement on joint work sia co-operation may emerge come some of the challenges
plained. “The Russian and which will return after 7-10 fi rst fl ight on a Russian space- signed by the heads of the with the establishment of the that prevent Russia and India
Indian Governments have days. We may be able to send ship before launching Indian ISRO and Roskosmos on 5 SERGEY PYATAKOV_RIA-NOVOSTI Technology Clearing House, from realising their full col-
approved the programme. We a man to the Moon in 2025,” spaceships with our own car- November 2007.
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The nanotechnology research training centre in Moscow intended to initiate a cus- laborative potential.”
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