March 4, 2010China to increase use of cloud seeding
AP- BEIJING – China plans to increase its use of cloud seeding to relieve drought in key areas and lessen its impact on agricultural production, an official newspaper reported Thursday.
China has used weather modification techniques such as cloud seeding for decades, particularly in the arid north where much of the country's wheat is grown. The government also uses the technique to ensure blue skies ahead of key events, such as the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics two years ago.
There is rising demand for weather modification to cushion the impact that drought and hailstorms pose to rural income and food supplies, the China Daily newspaper said, citing Zheng Guoguang, director of the China Meteorological Administration.
Zheng acknowledged the technique was imperfect, saying it was at a "research-and-use" stage. Chinese scientists have acknowledged they cannot say exactly what effect they are having by blasting clouds with silver iodide.
The chemical is thought to help concentrate moisture in clouds, thereby producing rain or snow.
China has more than 20 percent of the world's population but less than 7 percent of its arable land, underscoring the need to maximize agricultural output. A drought in 2007, the worst in a decade, caused losses of 37.4 million tons of grain, out of an annual output of 500 million tons, China Daily said.
Last year, authorities ordered a record 840 flights in efforts to increase rain in 1.39 million square miles (3.6 million square kilometers) _ roughly one-third of Chinese territory. They also fired 116,000 rockets and 890,000 artillery shells.
Weather modification was expected to play a role in ensuring good weather during the World Expo in Shanghai this summer and the Asian Games in Guangzhou later in the year.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/ap/20100304/tap-as-china-weather-bb10fb8.html
Chemtrail conspiracy theory The chemtrail conspiracy theory holds that some contrails are actually chemicals or biological agents deliberately sprayed at high altitudes for a purpose undisclosed to the general public. Versions of the chemtrail conspiracy theory circulating on the internet and radio talk shows theorize that the activity is directed by government officials.[1] As a result, federal agencies have received thousands of complaints from people who have demanded an explanation.[1][2][3] The existence of chemtrails has been repeatedly denied by government agencies and scientists around the world.[4][5][6]
The United States Air Force has stated that the theory is a hoax which "has been investigated and refuted by many established and accredited universities, scientific organizations, and major media publications".[7] The British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has stated that chemtrails "are not scientifically recognised phenomena".[5] The Canadian Leader of the Government in the House of Commons has stated that "The term 'chemtrails' is a popularized expression, and there is no scientific evidence to support their existence."[8]
The term chemtrail is derived from "chemical trail" in the similar fashion that contrail is an abbreviation for condensation trail. It does not refer to common forms of aerial spraying such as crop dusting, cloud seeding or aerial firefighting. The term specifically refers to aerial trails allegedly caused by the systematic high-altitude release of chemical substances not found in ordinary contrails, resulting in the appearance of supposedly uncharacteristic sky tracks.
Believers of this theory speculate that the purpose of the chemical release may be for global dimming, population control, weather control, or biowarfare and claim that these trails are causing respiratory illnesses and other health problems.[1][2][9][10]
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