Ready, aim, fire and rain

Ready, aim, fire and rain

www.atimes.com

...Instead, they grab rocket launchers and a 37-millimeter anti-aircraft gun and begin shooting into the sky. What they launch are not bullets or missiles but chemical pellets. Their targets are not enemy aggressors but wisps of passing cloud that they aim to "seed" with silver-iodide particles around which moisture can then collect and become heavy enough to fall. The farmers are part of the biggest rain-making force in the world: China's Weather Modification Program.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Saw this on Drudge and couldn't help but notice the article. I guess true weather modification is not so far fetched as we thought, atleast I thougt. They even have a disclosed weather modification department.

...each of China's more than 30 provinces and province-level municipalities today boast a weather-modification base, employing more than 32,000 people, 7,100 anti-aircraft guns, 4,991 special rocket launchers and 30-odd aircraft across the country.

My only question is... How does this compare to the U.S. and other countries?


www.atimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 13-7-2007 by souls]

I wonder if all that weather modification creates adverse effects on weather patterns in the region?

Could weather manipulation be responsible for the recent flooding that has left scores of people homeless, missing, or dead?

Its interesting, my dad lives in china, he's never mentioned a policy of weather manipulation. Mind you he teaches english, so its not like he's a military contractor or government official, but if this information is common knowledge as suggested, how much of the population knows about it?

I have known about this method for a few years from a few different sources. My first intro to the idea was whilst in the forces they showed us how a aircraft carrying a liquid form of a virus could basically infect the whole country. Aside from that they said the same technique could be used to cause downpours of rain for the enemy out on the battlefield using the Iodine.

Thing that puzzles me is that 8 week ago in the UK the news was going on about water shortages, Hose pipe bans and how we were in for a super hot summer. Infact water companies were on TV with their worries about this summer. Then out of the blue quite literally we have about 4 weeks of non stop rain and its still bloody raining now. Makes you think.

Probaly just good old English weather though

The US was doing this in the 50s.

Originally posted by InSpiteOf
I wonder if all that weather modification creates adverse effects on weather patterns in the region?

Could weather manipulation be responsible for the recent flooding that has left scores of people homeless, missing, or dead?

That's exaclty what I was thinking. The article goes on to say that the techniques used are not 100 % accurate, but...I don't buy it. If the U.S.

...pioneered cloud-seeding techniques in the 1940s and 1950s...

Then imagine how exact this technology is now, and what other forms of weather modification can take place besides "rain making"? I was just as surprised to hear "Weather Modification Department".

Of course, weather modification can be very useful, and can have many applications. My main concern is it's military applications, and how this affects atmospheric conditions, health wise.

Off topic but, you know those "chem trails"? I live in San Diego and it seems that everytime they are "spraying" whatever it is they are "spraying", it suddenly gets very hot and my nose starts to dry out. Not sure if it is weather modification or not, but it sure seems like it.

Originally posted by souls
Of course, weather modification can be very useful, and can have many applications. My main concern is it's military applications, and how this affects atmospheric conditions, health wise.

Its kind of disturbing to think that if military forces have the technology to alter basic weather patterns, how often have they been used A) as a test on the general public, B) what type of health concerns can be attributed to the altered wealther C) what type of environmental concerns can be attributed to the altered wealther, and D) how often have conventional forces used this technology to win a battle? Furthermore, what type of long term affects (both health and environmental) can be attributed to such techonology? What if seeding a battlefielf for rain one day, causes massive drought in the surrounding are for the population in the comming months?

How often has this tech been used in conflicts without ever being declared?