The
Rainmaker
Thursday, 5th March
1998
at 9.30pm on BBC2
Dr
Graeme Mather has dedicated his entire working life to proving once
and for all that clouds can be made to rain by human intervention. Now,
after 30 years of fruitless searching, Graeme believes that he has made
the breakthrough that will make cloud-seeding a legitimate
science.
Horizon tells the story of one man's
persistence
and his amazing discovery that could end droughts and revolutionise
water management the world over.
On graduating
from university,
Canadian-born Dr Mather was warned by his tutor: "Whatever you do,
don't
be seduced by the challenge of weather modification. You'll waste your
time and your reputation." Graeme ignored that advice and embarked
on a career that has seen numerous false dawns and attracted the
growing
scepticism of his fellow scientists.
Then, just as
Mather was
on the point of accepting defeat, he had his eureka moment, a
chance
observation that revealed a new way of seeding clouds. Suddenly the
frustrations
of 30 years were swept aside as he and his colleagues in South Africa
put
the new theory to the test. Seven years on, Graeme's discovery is now
undergoing
the final, independent trials that will prove its legitimacy.
Cloud-seeding is
not a
new idea, but for over 100 years it has been more of an act of faith
than
a science, as meteorologists and drought-stricken farmers have tried
seeding
clouds with a variety of "magic ingredients", none of which worked to
any
measurable degree. The theory was fine, the practice was a failure.
That
is, until Graeme had his eureka moment.
Graeme's
breakthrough occurred
when he observed that pollutants from a local paper-mill had an
extraordinary
effect on storms passing overhead - they rained harder and longer.
Since
then, he and his research company CloudQuest have worked
tirelessly
to perfect the technology that can repeat this phenomenon and to
establish
the data gathering techniques that prove it works. Their South African
experiments have been impressive, recording increases in the rainfall
from
clouds of between 40-60%.
Horizon goes to
Mexico
to witness the trials that finally seem to be vindicating Graeme's
work,
much to the astonishment of sceptics. Dramatic sequences of mid-air
cloud-seeding
and sudden downpours bear witness to a technological revolution
in
the making. They also reveal the natural science that lies behind the
visually
spectacular, but secret world of clouds.
For Graeme it marks
the
successful culmination of a life's work. Adam Bullmore and Denman
Rooke's
film tells the remarkable story of the triumph of persistence and good
luck over failure and frustration. In his own words: "It's how science
ought to work, but almost never does." But sadly, Graeme will never see
the fruits of his work. Shortly before filming was completed, Graeme
Mather
died.
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