China is shooting small, chemical-filled rockets high into the sky in an effort to manipulate weather conditions in parts of the country plagued by recent climate extremes.
Published Aug. 31, 2022 10:50 AM EDT | Updated Aug. 31, 2022 10:50 AM EDT
A tool utilized for weather manipulation nearly turned into an instrument of disaster Monday.
In China's Sichuan province, a cloud-seeding rocket fell to the ground on a busy local walkway, just inches away from pedestrians. Footage captured by China Central Television (CCTV) showed shoppers walking along when the rocket, fitted with a parachute, dropped dangerously close to a group of people.
Pedestrians ran in horror from a cloud-seeding rocket that touched down dangerously close to them in Yuechi County in China's Sichuan province Monday. (Photo via Reuters)
Such rockets, filled with chemicals that Chinese officials are using to induce artificial rain in drought-stricken areas, are part of the country's weather modification technique known as "cloud seeding."
Merchant Xu, a shop owner along the walkway, told Reuters that "the artificial rain rocket just landed in front of my shop and scared people to death" but that "fortunately, it did not hit anyone." Shocked pedestrians in the area surrounded the rocket after its landing, horrified by the near-tragedy that took place.
Confirmation of the cloud-seeding operation was made by the Yeuchi County Meteorological Bureau, which stated that there were no reports of residents being struck by rockets.
A cloud-seeding rocket seen from the ground in Yuechi County in China's Sichuan province Monday, as horrified pedestrians gathered to see what nearly hit them on a walkway. (Photo via Reuters)
Cloud seeding is a technique used by China that allows for greater rainfall, hailstorm prevention, clearing the skies of clouds, as well as to lower air pollution levels. Scientists have pursued the technique for decades, and China recently used cloud seeding to clear clouds out of the sky in order to celebrate the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in July 2021.
The technique is made through the addition of chemicals, including particles of silver iodide, among clouds to spur condensation and increase the chance of precipitation in a particular area.
Photo taken of a cloud-seeding operation in Surat Thani, Thailand, shows aircraft on its way to aid in chemically-induced cloud condensation. (Photo via Getty Images)
Rockets, as well as aircraft, are used in the process, so the chemicals and other materials are dispersed above the clouds for more effectiveness.
Other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, have experimented with the technique by employing drones. These drones release an electrical charge into clouds, leading to condensation and a greater chance of precipitation.
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