TPO 36 Integrated Task

In this given set of materials, the focus of the passage is on whether a method called "cloud seeding" is actually effective in protecting farming crops from being damaged by hail or not. In one hand, the writer presents three reasons to support the effectiveness of such method. However, in the other hand, the professor asserts that It is not clear that mentioned effectiveness comes from cloud seeding and questions each of the writer's reasons.

According to the writer and as mentiones in the passage, one reason that support cloud seeding is experiments in the labratory, in which experimenters added silver iodide to cold water and then they noticed that light snow forming instead of hail. However, the professor challenge this reason by pointing out that adding silver actually might prevent any formation of water or snow at all, hence, bringing the risk of drought for crops.

Moreover, the writer mentions that there is successful evidence from Asia that cloud seeding is effective in urban areas. Therefore, this method might be effective in farms as well. In the other hand, the professor refutes this reason. She doubts that conditions in urbane areas such as pollution, which helped to produce successful results, may not occur again as there are less pollution in farms.

Last but not least, the writer puts forward one study that showed using cloud seeding reduced damage in the farm that was used on. In contrast, the professor rejects this reason again. She claims that not only did damage to crops reduce in this region, but the surrounding regions also experienced less damage. Hence, there were other factors such as natural variation of local weather that caused less damage rather than cloud seeding.