Lack of Snow in Japan Changes Olympic Cooling Plans
2020-03-03
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1Japan has been collecting snow this winter to be used to help cool areas during this year's Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
2But lower-than-usual snowfall this year has forced officials to rethink the effort.
3Some of the work has taken place in the mountain city of Minami-Uonuma, in Niigata prefecture north of Tokyo.
4Workers have been trying to collect and store snow to bring by train to areas where Olympic soccer and basketball events will be held.
5The snow is supposed to be used to cool buildings.
6Organizers also plan to give out the snow to Olympic visitors as they arrive for events.
7Summer temperatures around Tokyo often rise to at least 40 degrees Celsius.
8Organizers are also planning to use misting machines and water stations to keep Olympic attendees cool.
9The use of snow to cool structures is not knew in Japan and some other countries.
10In Norway, for example, the country's airport in Oslo uses snow collected and stored during the winter to cool buildings in the summer.
11Usually, the mountains in Niigata receive some of the heaviest snow levels in Japan.
12But this year, snow amounts dropped sharply.
13They could end up being the lowest since recordkeeping began in 1981.
14The information on snow levels came from Japan's Meteorological Agency.
15Mutsumi Seki is helping lead snow collection efforts at the Minami-Uonuma project.
16Seki told Reuters, "We had to change the snow-gathering site from last year to an area where we can expect more snow."
17So far, the city has only collected 1,400 cubic meters of snow.
18That is lower than the 2,000 cubic meters it collected last year, when it tested the workability of the plan.
19Snow depths in areas along the Sea of Japan fell by as much as 15 percent a decade in the years between 1962 and 2016.
20Those numbers come from a 2018 study by Japan's Ministry of Environment.
21Michael Mann is a professor at Pennsylvania State University.
22He told Reuters that the climate changes in Japan are "part of a much larger pattern of unusual warmth around the entire Northern Hemisphere this winter."
23Mann added that he believes this pattern "is connected to human-caused planetary warming."
24Masami Yashima runs a resort in the city of Nagano, which is next to Niigata.
25He also said he believes that global warming is causing the drop in snowfall.
26"There's very little snow. About a third of what we get here every year," he said. "It's very painful."
27Officials in Japan's northern city of Sapporo are hoping to bring the 2030 Winter Olympics to that city.
28Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics back in 1972.
29This past December and January, very little snow fell in the area.
30Then, in early February, it finally arrived.
31A winter storm dropped about 34 centimeters of snow during a period of just six hours.
32Local officials welcomed the snow.
33But they continue to watch the weather very closely, as they prepare for a possible Olympic award.
34One weather expert told The Associated Press he thinks the lack of snow - followed by the large amount falling in a short period - may also be a sign that the local climate is changing.
35"We often have this kind of event," said Dr. Tomonori Sato, a professor at Hokkaido University.
36"However, the magnitude was abnormal. This is maybe because of warming temperatures."
37I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Japan has been collecting snow this winter to be used to help cool areas during this year's Summer Olympics in Tokyo. But lower-than-usual snowfall this year has forced officials to rethink the effort. 2Some of the work has taken place in the mountain city of Minami-Uonuma, in Niigata prefecture north of Tokyo. Workers have been trying to collect and store snow to bring by train to areas where Olympic soccer and basketball events will be held. 3The snow is supposed to be used to cool buildings. Organizers also plan to give out the snow to Olympic visitors as they arrive for events. Summer temperatures around Tokyo often rise to at least 40 degrees Celsius. Organizers are also planning to use misting machines and water stations to keep Olympic attendees cool. 4The use of snow to cool structures is not knew in Japan and some other countries. In Norway, for example, the country's airport in Oslo uses snow collected and stored during the winter to cool buildings in the summer. 5Usually, the mountains in Niigata receive some of the heaviest snow levels in Japan. But this year, snow amounts dropped sharply. They could end up being the lowest since recordkeeping began in 1981. The information on snow levels came from Japan's Meteorological Agency. 6Mutsumi Seki is helping lead snow collection efforts at the Minami-Uonuma project. Seki told Reuters, "We had to change the snow-gathering site from last year to an area where we can expect more snow." 7So far, the city has only collected 1,400 cubic meters of snow. That is lower than the 2,000 cubic meters it collected last year, when it tested the workability of the plan. 8Snow depths in areas along the Sea of Japan fell by as much as 15 percent a decade in the years between 1962 and 2016. Those numbers come from a 2018 study by Japan's Ministry of Environment. 9Michael Mann is a professor at Pennsylvania State University. He told Reuters that the climate changes in Japan are "part of a much larger pattern of unusual warmth around the entire Northern Hemisphere this winter." Mann added that he believes this pattern "is connected to human-caused planetary warming." 10Masami Yashima runs a resort in the city of Nagano, which is next to Niigata. He also said he believes that global warming is causing the drop in snowfall. "There's very little snow. About a third of what we get here every year," he said. "It's very painful." 11Officials in Japan's northern city of Sapporo are hoping to bring the 2030 Winter Olympics to that city. Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics back in 1972. 12This past December and January, very little snow fell in the area. Then, in early February, it finally arrived. A winter storm dropped about 34 centimeters of snow during a period of just six hours. 13Local officials welcomed the snow. But they continue to watch the weather very closely, as they prepare for a possible Olympic award. One weather expert told The Associated Press he thinks the lack of snow - followed by the large amount falling in a short period - may also be a sign that the local climate is changing. 14"We often have this kind of event," said Dr. Tomonori Sato, a professor at Hokkaido University. "However, the magnitude was abnormal. This is maybe because of warming temperatures." 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English, with additional information from The Associated Press. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 17We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 18________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20mist - n. small drops of water that move through the air 21site - n. the place where something happens 22decade - n. a period of ten years 23pattern - n. a particular way something happens 24resort - n. a place where people go for vacation 25global - adj. involving the entire world 26host - v. when a country or city provides the place and equipment for an organized event 27magnitude - n. the large size or importance of something