China is going to make its own rain (and it’s not without controversy)

China’s largest freshwater lake has turned into an arid plain. There is even a record drought in the south of the country. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture wants to do everything in its power to avoid bad harvests. The Chinese must therefore save water and the country will make its own rain using a controversial method.

rain

By manipulating the clouds, the Chinese are trying to raise the water level of the Yangtze River. This cloud manipulation is also called cloud seeding Appointed.

“With planes, we fly over the clouds,” explains meteorologist Maurice Middendorp. “They then disperse chemicals. For example, silver iodide or ice crystals which end up in the cloud. Water droplets attach themselves to it, this cloud becomes heavier and larger, then it’s raining somewhere.”

China is not the only country to use this method, it also sometimes happens in Russia and Dubai. In principle, the technique can be applied anywhere in the world, but you need some humidity in the air, says Middendorp. “So clouds, on which you can disperse these chemicals. If the air is very dry, it won’t work.”

The whole atmosphere disturbed

cloud seeding so you don’t want to use it to make rain in the event of a forest fire. “So you’re dealing with a really dry air guy and he doesn’t want that.” Moreover, it can also go wrong. In Dubai last year, for example, where there was major flooding after rain. “Also, anything that falls because of it won’t fall somewhere else,” says Middendorp. “And it can also be places that really need rain.”

Plus, the chemicals used aren’t unchallenged, says Middendorp. “The whole atmosphere is disturbed by it and what the long-term effect is, we don’t know. That makes it even more dangerous.”

Cloud manipulation isn’t the only way to influence the weather. Reflecting the sun’s rays back into space is one way to ensure it cools, says RTL climate scientist Bart Verheggen. “This could be done, for example, by making the clouds whiter using sea salt. Then they reflect more sunlight and it cools.”

Another example you hear a lot about is the imitation of a large volcanic eruption, says Verheggen. “A large amount of sulfur is also released into the upper air layers. This reflects more solar radiation, which temporarily makes it a little colder.”

Due to the extreme drought, things are also coming to the surface in Spain:

Such methods are very controversial, he emphasizes once again. “Also because it has side effects. It can dry out certain regions, like the Amazon. Another side effect that could happen is that the ozone layer is damaged even more. We don’t want that either. .”

Reduce CO2 emissions

There is also the question: who will determine how much we want it to cool and if we want it at all. “The effects are also not uniform across the world,” says Verheggen. “Countries will therefore not quickly agree on where to put the thermostat knob.”

The best option remains to tackle the problem of global warming at the source, believes the climate specialist. “By reducing CO2 emissions.”