China 'Modified' the Weather To Create Clear Skies For Political Celebration, Study Finds (theguardian.com) 32
Chinese weather authorities successfully controlled the weather ahead of a major political celebration earlier this year, according to a Beijing university study. The Guardian reports: On 1 July the Chinese Communist party marked its centenary with major celebrations including tens of thousands of people at a ceremony in Tiananmen Square, and a research paper from Tsinghua University has said an extensive cloud-seeding operation in the hours prior ensured clear skies and low air pollution. [...] On Monday the South China Morning Post reported a recent research paper which found definitive signs that a cloud-seeding operation on the eve of the centenary had produced a marked drop in air pollution.
The centenary celebration faced what the paper reportedly termed unprecedented challenges, including an unexpected increase in air pollutants and an overcast sky during one of the wettest summers on record. Factories and other polluting activities had been halted in the days ahead of the event but low airflow meant the pollution hadn't dissipated, it said. The paper, published in the peer-reviewed Environmental Science journal and led by environmental science professor, Wang Can, said a two-hour cloud-seeding operation was launched on the eve of the ceremony, and residents in nearby mountain regions reported seeing rockets shot into the sky on 30 June. The paper said the rockets were carrying silver iodine into the sky to stimulate rainfall.
The researchers said the resulting artificial rain reduced the level of PM2.5 air pollutants by more than two-thirds, and shifted the air quality index reading, based on World Health Organization standards, from "moderate" to "good." The team said the artificial rain "was the only disruptive event in this period," so it was unlikely the drop in pollution had a natural cause.
The centenary celebration faced what the paper reportedly termed unprecedented challenges, including an unexpected increase in air pollutants and an overcast sky during one of the wettest summers on record. Factories and other polluting activities had been halted in the days ahead of the event but low airflow meant the pollution hadn't dissipated, it said. The paper, published in the peer-reviewed Environmental Science journal and led by environmental science professor, Wang Can, said a two-hour cloud-seeding operation was launched on the eve of the ceremony, and residents in nearby mountain regions reported seeing rockets shot into the sky on 30 June. The paper said the rockets were carrying silver iodine into the sky to stimulate rainfall.
The researchers said the resulting artificial rain reduced the level of PM2.5 air pollutants by more than two-thirds, and shifted the air quality index reading, based on World Health Organization standards, from "moderate" to "good." The team said the artificial rain "was the only disruptive event in this period," so it was unlikely the drop in pollution had a natural cause.
Yea right. (Score:1)
Two words: My Ass.
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They're on their way, but I don't think they have enough airplanes to successfully seed that cloud.
Try eating less carbs, maybe?
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I read an article that mentioned they are using rockets not planes to disperse the Silver-iodine, so theres that.
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Then he'd explode. I'm not sure that would help him.
They used to have videos of that stuff on youtube, but I doubt they still do. Not gonna search, I'll be in the Rick Astley section where it is safe.
Only works in certain areas (Score:4, Informative)
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Basically it sounds like they wanted to get the water out of the clouds before the event, not during the event. And reports are that it was effective.
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Didn't they do this (fairly publicly) during the Beijing olympics? I thought they declared "there will be no rain" - and there wasn't (on the Olympics - it pissed down elsewhere, but no journalists were there at the time to report on it).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
https://www.independent.co.uk/... [independent.co.uk]
Re: Only works in certain areas (Score:2)
"pissed down elseware"
Yep. Gotta make sure only the poor peasants get flooded out so no drop of rain reaches the multibillion dollar showcase to the world.
And the US is no better in this regard when the Olympics are hosted in one of our cities.
Not surprised (Score:5, Informative)
Here's an article on them doing exactly the same thing, over ten years ago:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/sep/23/china-cloud-seeding [theguardian.com]
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Some Persian Gulf nations also do this.
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North America too
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
"Cloud seeding is occasionally used by major ski resorts to induce snowfall. Eleven western states and one Canadian province (Alberta) have ongoing weather modification operational programs. In January 2006, an $8.8 million cloud seeding project began in Wyoming to examine the effects of cloud seeding on snowfall over Wyoming's Medicine Bow, Sierra Madre, and Wind River mountain ranges"
Re:Not surprised (Score:4, Interesting)
Australia concluded a 45 year study that it works over ten years ago https://news.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]
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But this is China doing it so it's sinister and an existential threat. Xi is scheming to make it rain on his enemies.
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I remember my primary school teacher (in Australia) telling me about cloud seeding. This was in the 80s.
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The link is somewhat misleading. The cited source shows Oregon on the map on the front, with one tiny tiny dot, but then when you look at the detailed maps and projects lists, it isn't on any of them.
And they mix together ongoing projects, and one-time academic research efforts. Like in what you quoted, in fact; hand waving at ski resorts, and then a very small research program.
Is it true that the reason western states want to increase our snow pack is because of skiing? (spoiler: no, it's for summer agricu
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They will do it again for their upcoming (already?) winter Olympics games too!
This is a well known phenomenon. (Score:5, Interesting)
I recall reading some kind of paper or news article about people looking into why there was more rainfall around flour mills, a phenomenon that's been recorded going back centuries. The discovery was that the dust from the milling would get carried away in the wind, and when using a wind powered mill there is always wind when milling flour. The dust would attract water from the air and create droplets. This would then seed a rainfall. Because the rain would also remove the dust from the air then it would have a limited range around the mill.
I recalled reading about this phenomenon when driving down the interstate near a granary. There wasn't any rain coming up to it, then when I was close the rain fell in these huge raindrops, and the rain faded as I got further away again. Anyone unfamiliar with the phenomenon might not think much of driving into and out of a bit of rain, but once I was aware of it I'd see evidence of it by chance once in a great while. Someone aware of this phenomenon could use this to their advantage to improve rain chances in times and places of their choosing, as well as discourage rain falling in a given time and place by inducing rain in a different time and place, just as the Chinese government did.
What is notable is using this to create favorable weather for a public event. Could someone try to use this to prevent rained out professional sporting events? And outdoor concerts? There's certainly the potential to help with crop growth, but that's just trading rain for crops in one place for crops in another. That is unless the rain might go out over the sea or a lake. Could this be developed to be a lower cost alternative to other means to bring in water?
This is quite interesting to see, not because it was not known about but because it was known about to such detail that someone could put it into practice.
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China also uses it for such events. I believe there are articles about it regarding the previous Olympics held there.
Don't downplay that it can be used for crops. Generally there is a loss of water from irrigation. If your field is next to a mountain, we can likely suppose moisture will likely fall on the mountain side and then irrigated to crops. There will be less loss, if you simply get it to fall on the crops. There also may be some crops that need more water. However, I don't think the precision of cur
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but that's just trading rain for crops in one place for crops in another
Not always, due to issues of vapor pressure and evaporation. In some cases you would reduce rain in other places, but in other cases you wouldn't.
Overall you would expect increased total rainfall.
Up to date I see (Score:4, Funny)
Thanks for updates on the latest in technology... from 1946 [wikipedia.org]
Nothing new. (Score:4, Informative)
They did mass cloud seeding ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well.
For the same reason.
They even have a name for the color of the sky. (Score:4, Insightful)
They've been doing this for years. Long enough that local Chinese have a name for the color of the sky when they do it:
Parade Blue.
Because the sky is only that color when an "important" event like a political parade is about to happen.
"Create clear skies" (Score:2)
You mean China made a storm dump it's load and run itself dry in time for the celebration.
Charles Hatfield (Score:2)
Wide awake in San Diego
Smallest root shrinking dry
The fish are swimming closer inside Lake Morena
Still get no rain from the sky
Men were firing cannons
Hoping smoke might tear an angel's eyes
Heard the stories of shooting arrows
Tearin' open the clouds
But Indians shoot the best, and
The Indians they don't like us, much
Hatfield
You made rain for L.A.
We've got ten grand
For you to go cook us some rain
Science from the cooking pot mixing up with the air
Feeling thunder
Nights since they have started
Now the clouds won't
Hello California (Score:2)
Surely there are more solid reasons to do this around here?