China changes weather to combat drought
China will step up weather modification in key regions to help relieve drought and increase food production, according to the director of the China Meteorological Administration
As drought and hailstorms pose severe threats to rural income and food supply, there is a rising demand for technology to cushion the impact, Zheng Guoguang told China Daily.
Weather modification technology has also been used to ensure clear skies for important events, and will possibly be used for the upcoming Shanghai World Expo.
Modifying weather involves seeding clouds with grains of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) or tiny particles of silver iodide to stimulate rainfall or dissipate the clouds. It is also used to help prevent or control forest fires and ease acute water shortages in some areas, he said.
Statistics for losses caused by natural disasters in recent years were not immediately available, but a chronic drought in 2007, the worst in a decade, caused losses of 37.4 million tons of grain, according to official statistics. The annual grain output is around 500 million tons.
Zheng said he expects weather modification projects will contribute to the country's efforts to increase grain production capacity by 50 million tons annually.
Last year, officials used artillery, rockets or planes to induce precipitation for wheat-producing areas and some other regions, thanks partly to a central government fund of 60 million yuan ($8.8 million), Zheng said. In the past, most funds for weather modification projects came from local governments.
In all, a record 840 flights were made to increase rain last year for areas spanning 3.6 million square kilometers — or roughly one-third of China's territory. Also, at least 116,000 rockets and 890,000 artillery shells were fired to alter atmospheric phenomena.
Nationwide, weather modification projects cost 910 million yuan in 2009, but helped generate output 30 times that amount, according to statistics from the Weather Modification Center.
